The Doctor's Daughter (Book 1 in the Doctor's Daughter series)
by Tempest Wolfe
Summary: [A rewrite of season 2, starting after 2x01] Rose and the Doctor leave for New Earth, only to find they have a stowaway. A four year old named Wolfe stumbles into their lives, and becomes a companion. Unbeknownst to them, she's their daughter from a different dimension, where she grew up an orphan, at Torchwood. She'll do whatever it takes to keep her parents alive - and together.
1. Chapter 1

I gasp, trying to catch my breath as I duck into a small shop, and hide amongst the clothes.

"She went this way!" I man yells and the lackeys chase after him, down the street, past me.

I pant, not even having enough air, to breathe a sigh with relief. Once I am sure they're gone, I leave the shop and head down the street, making sure to hide amongst the crowds and avoiding eye contact with anyone. I duck into the nearest alleyway and find a lovely looking pile of plastic bags full of shredded paper. I carefully climb into the pile, building it up in front of me to hide my little body.

Finally feeling safe, I lie there, waiting for darkness to fall.

Suddenly, I hear a very familiar sound echoing over the alleyway.

It sounds like the heave-ho-ing of a very familiar police box.

I hurry from my hiding spot, looking for the sound, desperately. I duck behind some trashcans and peer into the back of the alley, where to my astonishment, the Tardis had formed.

I watch with tears filling my eyes as Rose exits the Tardis after the Doctor, and he takes her hand, entwining their fingers before they take off, running past me, and into the street.

When I am sure they're gone, I go to the Tardis door and try to open it. It doesn't budge.

I press my hands against the door, and start whispering to it

"Hi. My name is Tempestas Malus Lupus Filia Superuenientibus. I know you don't trust me and you have no reason to, but I desperately need you to believe me. I know what the future holds. I can see time, both the future and the past and I know he needs me. I am four years old, but my mind is far older. Please let me in so I can help." I beg, but the Tardis beeps back and I hear in my head her challenge _Prove it._

"The Doctor regenerated after kissing Rose to remove the essence of time from her soul when she became Bad Wolf. She was devastated at his change and didn't trust him for a while until they defeated the Sycorax. He wanted to take her to Barcelona, the planet not the city."

The door to the Tardis clicks open, and I slip inside.

It's more amazing than any of the visions I have ever had about it.

"You're beautiful" I tell her, and she purrs with thanks.

"I have a secret to tell you about Rose and The Doctor, but you can't tell them anything. Not yet at least." I tell the Tardis "But you're going to have to tell them when I'm gone. Do you promise?"

The Tardis beeps consent

"I'm their daughter. When Rose absorbed into her the essence of Bad Wolf, and the Doctor kissed her, mashing their souls together, in another dimension I was created. My name branded into the mind of anyone who ever touched me, was in Latin; Daughter of Oncoming Storm And Bad Wolf. I usually just tell people my name is Tempest Wolfe. It keeps things simpler, though I go by Wolfe. Haven't you noticed how much I look like my Mum?" I ask, grinning I have waist length blonde hair, and when I smile, and I am truly happy, my tongue sticks out between my teeth. My eyes are The Doctor's though, because they are not only the same shade but they see time as well.

"I travelled to this dimension with Torchwood. They…they…" I trail off, unwilling to continue my sentence.

The Tardis beeps again, this time in warning _They are returning. There is a hallway on your left, inside There's a small closet. Hide there until we leave. I'll let you come out when we move somewhere else._

I dash into the bedroom and turn to slam the door shut behind me just as the Tardis door opens.

I turn around, breathing a sigh of relief. I slide down to the floor, laying on it, as I listen to the muffled voices of Rose and the Doctor.

I catch the end of what The Doctor says "Further than we've ever gone before!"

Smiling at that thought, I soon drift off to sleep as the Tardis starts to move.

I awake to a loud bang. My eyes fly open and I shoot to my feet. I realize quickly that the noise I heard was the Tardis waking me up.

Slowly, I open the door, and walk out into the hallway. The Doctor and Rose have their back to me, as they watch The Lion King on one of the Tardis monitors.

"Hello" I call, because I have nothing better to say.

Rose shrieks, and The Doctor is on his feet, tossing her behind him, and brandishing his sonic screwdriver.

They freeze when they see me- a painfully small little girl, with big brown eyes and waist length blonde hair.

Rose relaxes immediately, but The Doctor doesn't trust me yet.

"What is your name?" he demands

I freeze as I quickly realize that if I tell them my full name they will suspect something

"Wolfe." I answer simply. "My name is Wolfe. I am four years old, though I am smarter than a normal four year old. Back home, I am an orphan. I am a human…" I wince

The Doctor gets down on his knees, so he's eye to eye with me.

"Hi Wolfe. I didn't mean to scare you. How'd you get on the Tardis?" his voice is soft with care,

"She let me on.' I answer and The Doctor rolls his eyes

"I thought I told you to stop doing that!" He scolds the console and she beeps, not quite ruefully, but more cheekily.

He turns back to me "Do you know who I am?"

I nod, grinning, unable to stop my tongue from sliding in between my teeth

"You're The Doctor." I look over his shoulder at the blonde who is looking at me in interest "and you're Rose."

I suddenly realize that Rose and the Doctor are looking very shocked and I realize my smile must look just like Rose's. I immediately duck my head, smile vanishing under their gaze.

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to stare." Apologizes Rose, quickly

"We're just surprised you know who we are." Explains The Doctor "And you have a beautiful smile."

I blush, and to my amusement, Rose blushes too, because we grin the same way.

"Thank you." I mutter, still embarrassed

"Here, why don't you come with me and we can have the Tardis check on you?" Offers the Doctor.

He takes my hand and I stiffen as I am overpowered by harsh, painful emotions. They burn inside me like fire and ice and I feel the most powerful guilt I have ever felt.

I see flashes of the robotic, emotionless aliens known as Daleks, I see an orange planet, Gallifrey vanishing, blowing into nothing. I hear the screams of the billions of innocent souls dying in an instant. I see a great war, a war of time and space, I see everything end and begin and I feel hate and pain and loss and guilt and suddenly I feel alone. Then, a beautiful blonde with a bright smile enters my vision and exasperation, and friendly love fills me. The more I hear her laughter and watch her dance about my vision in multiple adventures, I can feel my affection for her grows-

I watch as I am sucked back to normal times, after watching the Doctor's past. I blink, gasping slightly as I absorb the vertigo that comes with seeing time.

"Wolfe? Are you okay?" The Doctor asks, concerned.

I nod, silent as the most furious pity fills me for the Doctor, because that must be how he feels all of the time.

"Sorry. I must have spaced out." I lie

I can see in the Doctor's eyes that he doesn't believe me, but he doesn't question it.

"Come on then." He takes my hand again and stands up, bending slightly to continue holding my hand as he leads me to a medical bay, Rose following close behind.

When we arrive in the large room, I attempt to get on the examination table but I am far too short.

"Rose, will you lift her onto the examination table while I set up the tests?" The Doctor asks,

She takes me by the hips and lifts me up to the table, and as she lets go, her hand brushes against the skin where my shirt lifted up.

I stiffen again as I feel a devastating ache of uselessness. Flashes of people always telling me I'll never be special echoing in my ear. Then, I see a new man, who I recognize as the Doctor, all ears and leather. He takes my hand, eyes meeting mine. "Run" he whispers, and suddenly I am stumbling down a series of fear, shock, power, loss, and purpose. Fantastic. Fantastic. The word echoes in my ear, and a flood of affection comes with the word, with his face. Then, mistrust as a new face appears, but before long a powerful, magnetic love surges through me each time the new face smiles, or laughs-.

I am sucked back to present to the sound of Rose going "Wolfe? Are you okay?"

"Yes" I answer, blushing, looking up at her

"Hold still Wolfe, I am going to run a few tests on you. Don't move, I promise it wont hurt much." The Doctor says and I nod.

He takes my blood, sending it to the Tardis to analyze. Then he takes out his stethoscope, and worry fills me.

"This might be cold." he warns, as he places it upon my chest.

I meet his gaze, calmly as he listens to my heartbeat.

Suddenly, I feel ready to share one small secret with him. After feeling his empty guilt and loneliness, he needs to know.

He is about to move away, when I take his wrist, looking up at him with hope, and slowly move his hand, holding the stethoscope across my chest to the right side, eyes never breaking his gaze. His eyes widen and his mouth drops open.

"You have two hearts." he whispers, shock in his voice, and I know he is hearing the sound of my second heart thumping under my right ribcage.


	2. Chapter 2

_"_ _You have two hearts." he whispers, shock in his voice, and I know he is hearing the sound of my second heart thumping under my right ribcage._

"Yes." I answer quietly

"You've got two hearts? Doesn't that make her a-" Rose asks

"Timelord." I finish, softly, still keeping my gaze firmly locked with Doctor's "Or Timelady, perhaps."

"What…How?" The Doctor asks, looking amazed

I shrug " I was born this way. I see time in its full extent, I feel the move of the plates of earth under my feet. I have two hearts. I can regenerate as well."

The Tardis beeps, and the Doctor breaks my gaze long enough to look at the results.

"Your blood is human!" He cries, confused

"I am half human. My abilities are stronger than a normal Timelord for that reason. When I touch someone for the first time, I can see chunks of their timeline…and then I am what I call "Seared" to them. It means that although I can close the visions the next time I touch someone…I can look at them whenever I want."

"When I took your hand…you must have seen my past, that could be the only reason you looked so sad and scared." He looked wounded.

I wince "I'm so sorry. I can't control it. I wouldn't have invaded your privacy if I could control it."

He nods, eyes still wary.

"You said you regenerated?" questions Rose, changing the topic

I nod, glad to change the subject "Yes, but for some reason, my physical form never changes. I've looked like this for as long as I can remember, and when I was younger, a car hit and killed me. I regenerated looking exactly the same."

"That must be the human in you" nods the Doctor, "But how can you exist? How do you even know about your heritage?"  
"Not long after I was born Torchwood came and found me. I was raised there for the past twenty years."

"You're twenty years old?" demands Rose, in shock

I nod "Timelords age differently" I explain, almost apologetically.

"So, Wolfe, who are you?" asks The Doctor

"I am not sure. I didn't grow up with my parents. I was abandoned on the side of the road when I was young. I was found in the Netherlands." I explain, avoiding his gaze. "Is there anything else you want to know?" I ask, yawning.

The Doctor's eyes soften slightly, with a smile

"No, Wolfe. We can talk more tomorrow, and based on the way you and Rose are about to fall over I think it's time for bed."

"That sounds fantastic" Rose agrees, stifling a yawn.

"Rose, why don't you turn off the telly, and I'll go and tuck Wolfe in, okay?"

"Sure Doctor. Goodnight." Answers Rose, before she turns to me "Goodnight Wolfe."

"Goodnight! "I chirp back

She turns and leaves, whereas the Doctor looks back down at me.

"Don't tell her about what you saw…please." The Doctor says "I don't tell her because I don't want her to worry about me. It's too late for you now, but not for her. I have to protect her."

"Don't worry Doctor. Your secret is safe." I promise him, not sure whether he wants me to promise not to tell her to protect her from knowing his past or to protect her from knowing his love.

"Time for bed." He says, picking me up, carrying me on his hip down the halls of the Tardis.

"Where am I going to sleep?" I ask him, curious.

"I have a guest room you can use." He explains, opening the door.

The room is beautiful, with pale purple walls, a large, fluffy white rug and royal purple bedspread.

He sits me down on the bed and walks over to what I guess it the closet door.

He knocks lightly on it before opening it. Inside are rows upon rows of nightgowns.

"Which one?" he asks, as I stare in awe

"The starry one." I answer, pointing to one coated in the Milky Way and various shades of blue and black.

The Doctor tugs it out of the closet, and walks over to me. He helps my tug off my jacket and pulls the dress over my head. Under the cover of the nightdress, I remove my shirt and pants. The Doctor pulls open the covers and helps me into them. I snuggle down into the soft sheets and he pulls them up, tucking them in on either side of me.

"Doctor?" I whisper, looking up at him.

"Yes?" he stares back at me and I wonder if he sees how similar our eyes are.

"You're not going to take me back to Cardiff again right? You're going to let me stay with you?" My voice cracks slightly, and I try not to sound too desperate. I already adore my pseudo mother and father, and I can almost not even bear the thought of leaving now.

"No, Wolfe. You deserve to be here. We are, after all, the last of the Timelords." He smiles slightly

"Promise?" I ask,

"I promise." He answers, firmly

He stands.

"Sleep well, Wolfe." He whispers

"Quite right, too Doctor." I whisper back.

He smiles, before he slips of my room, shutting the door behind him.

I slowly drift off to sleep.

I wake with a start, my body sensing something before my mind caught up. I freeze, now out of bed. A vision attacks me, and I fight a scream as I find myself surrounded by Daleks.

"We have exterminated the Doctor. You are alone." One tells her, emotionlessly

"No!" I scream, hearing Rose's voice from my mouth.

I am sucked out of the vision and start running out of my bedroom, desperately searching for Rose's room. I open the first door that appears to find myself in the Doctor's room.

I turn to leave, when I realize that I must have found his room for a reason.

I walk over to him, and gently touch my hand to his forehead.

Shutting my eyes, I push my thoughts into his head. I show him a vision of himself trapped in a cage, with whispers of "Rose is in trouble" echoing everywhere. I watch as he fights to get out, screaming bloody murder. I quickly remove my hand and duck under the bed.

He flies awake, breathing heart, his two hearts beating hard enough that I can hear them. He takes off, out his door and down the hall. I follow him, walking softly, but quickly.

I reach Rose's bedroom door, flung open in his haste. He is kneeling beside her panicked, form, still in her nightmare.

He gently shakes her awake, and she shoots up, sweat dripping down her forehead, tears brimming in her eyes.

She throws herself at him, burying her face in his shirt, and he clings to her just as tightly.

They stay like that, his eyes shut with relief, and her face pressed into his shirt, crying.

Slowly, they release one another, having relaxed in the other's safe embrace.

"S-sorry Doctor." Stutters Rose sniffling as she wipes her tears out of her eyes.

"It's no problem Rose." Answers The Doctor "I had a nightmare too."

Rose nods, half paying attention.

"Well, if you're alright-" starts the Doctor, getting up slightly when Rose's hand shoots out, grabbing the hand closest to her.

"Wait." She says, softly.

The Doctor freezes, and I can feel his hope, and her fear radiating through the room.

"Will you stay with me? Just tonight? To keep the nightmares away?" she begs, eyes wide.

He relaxes "Of course."

She shifts over in bed, revealing a spot big enough for the Doctor to wriggle in.

He gets under the covers with her, head on the pillow she was just sleeping on, and their faces mere inches apart.

The tension coming through the air is nearly making my hair crackle with electricity.

I see his hand shift out from under the covers to clasp hers, between their heads.

"Goodnight Rose." He whispers, softly

"Goodnight Doctor." She whispers back, and they both close their eyes.

I smile as I sneak back to my room.

The Tardis gives me a grateful beep as I shut my door and slipped back into bed.


	3. Chapter 3

_I smile as I sneak back to my room._ _The Tardis gives me a grateful beep as I shut my door and slip back into bed._

I wake the next morning, early, like I usually do. I walk over to the closet where The Doctor got my nightgown. I knock on it, and open it to see rows and rows of clothing, all of which would be appealing to me. I look through it before selecting a leather zip up, a pair of light blue denim jeans, a pair of thin lace up combat boots, and a dark purple tank top. I find a brush in the loo's cabinet and brush out my long blonde hair, putting it up in a ponytail.

My hair swinging merrily, I march out of my room and find my way into the kitchen. I reach to open one of the drawers, attempting to see what food was in there, because I am famished, when a vision takes hold.

I see a world, of flying cars and tall, sleek metal and glass buildings. A head of a man, wrinkled and tired with age wheezes to The Doctor, from inside a tank. Cats, all dressed in white nuns clothes hurry about. Suddenly the dream changes into something much darker as I see a room full of green tubes, full of sickly people. I see a woman made of skin and a small servant made of patterns. I see The Doctor, eyes gleaming with the skin woman's eyes, and Rose's lips purse with the skin woman's attitude. I see them run, and run and run- when one hand reaches out and brushes against Rose. With a scream from both she and The Doctor, she contracts the illnesses, becoming a zombie like the others. The Doctor sobs as Rose falls away into the sickness, never to be saved.

I shake my head, waking from the vision with a nervous nausea in my stomach. I just saw the future, and in it, Rose dies.

I shudder, promising myself that it'll be fine, before I continue looking for food.

 _You should wake them up. We're going to land soon._ The Tardis hums to me.

"Alright" I answer, grinning slightly.

I leave all thoughts of a breakfast behind and walk down the corridors, trusting that the Tardis will get tome the door without getting me lost.

I finally find the door again and open it slowly. Inside, The Doctor and Rose are still sleeping peacefully. I walk closer, unsure of the best way to wake them up. I notice, stifling a laugh, that Rose has rolled over and the Doctor has his arms wrapped around her, while her head is nuzzled under his chin.

Then, I walk closer and gently touch Rose's shoulder.

"Rose?" I whisper to her "Rose?"

She fidgets slightly in the Doctor's arms, half awake.

"Doctor?" I touch him on the shoulder and his eyes fly open.

He stares at me, before looking down to see Rose, stirring in his arms.

She opens her eyes, and looks up at him, seeing their interesting position, and turns bright red.

"um, morning Doctor." Blushes Rose

"Morning." Answers The Doctor, gruffly

The embaressment is making my head hurt as it comes off them in waves. I immediately try to close most of our connection so I don't feel every flaw emotion like this.

"The Tardis told me to wake you up because we'll be wherever it is you want to be soon." I offer, amused.

"Alright then." The Doctor says, as Rose hurriedly gets out of bed, and he follows. "I suppose you're hungry then, Wolfe?" he changes the topic quickly

I nod, emphatically.

"Well, let's make some breakfast shall we?" he offers his hand to me, and I take it as we hurry down the hallway, leaving Rose back in her bedroom.

He picks me up and places me on the countertop, before he tugs out pancake mix.

"Fancy banana pancakes?" he offers, grinning

"Yes! Bananas are my favorite fruit!" I laugh, and we begin making them together.

I stir the batter while he cuts the bananas.

We've just finished depositing the last, light brown-crisped pancake on the plate when Rose comes out of her room, in a bright purple-blue top and dark pants. My stomach lurches, as I recognize the clothing from my vision.

I shake my head and say, brightly "Good morning!"

Rose grins "Good morning Wolfe!" she looks at the plate of banana pancakes. "That looks yummy!"

She grins as I pick up the plate and hop off the table, heading towards the table

Rose and the Doctor follow me and we sit together at the table, and dig into the pancakes.

"So where are we going Doctor?" I ask him, around a mouthful of pancakes, now desperately curious

His eyes twinkle with excitement. "You'll see."

As if on cue, the Tardis jolts to a stop with a large serious of bumps, a stretch and her usual groan.

I freeze, eyes wide as the Doctor leaps up and charges towards the main console room.

I drop my fork and Rose and I hurry after him down the halls, though my little legs having no way to catch up to his long, lanky ones.

Finally, out of breath, we reach the main console where the Doctor has his coat in one hand and his back to the door of the console. His eyes are bright with childish glee.

"Ready?" He asks, as Rose grabs a blue zip up and hurries towards him.

He opens the door and blue sky and green, green grass and an amazing smell fills our senses.

Hurrying out, we walk upon a very windy stretch of grass.

Rose's mouth drops open as does mine as we gaze around.

"It's the year five billion and twenty three... we're in the galaxy M87, and this... this is New Earth." The Doctor explains to us.

We look upon the futuristic city, with flying vehicles zooming to and fro.

My stomach grows nervous again as the city and futuristic technology look terribly familiar to the vison I had.

"That's just... that's..." Rose stutters as I focus on her again.

She bursts out laughing, in wonder.

The Doctor nods, gleefully "Not bad. Not bad at all!"

"That's amazing. I'll never get used to this. Never. Different ground beneath my feet!" She jumps up and down excitedly, and I smile as I feel her contagious excitement.

"Different sky...! What's that smell?" she continues.

"Apple grass." He explains, after leaning down to rip up a clump of it, showing her the blades of grass in his fist.

I rip up some of the soft grass, taking a deep sniff of the achingly sweet scent.

"Apple grass...!" Rose gasps

"Smells amazing." I tell The Doctor

"Yeah, yeah!"

"That's beautiful!"

She gazes up at the Doctor with a wide smile.

"Oh, I love this. Can I just say..." She links her arm through his. "...travelling with you... I love it."

"Me too." I say, while Rose laughs and the Doctor grins.

I smile at them as I feel the affection coming from their link.

"Come on!" The Doctor cries, kneeling down, and letting me scramble on his back for a piggy back ride, before standing, taking Rose's hand and we dash off across the apple grass hills.

Finally, we flop to the soft grass to catch our breath, on our backs, looking up at the blue sky.

"So, the year five billion... the sun expands, the Earth gets roasted." The Doctor starts a history lesson

Rose grins "That was our first date."

"We had chips! " the Doctor explains and they giggle.

"So anyway, planet gone, all rocks and dust, but the human race lives on, spread out across the stars. Soon as the Earth burns up... oh, yeah, they get all nostalgic... big revival movement... but find this place!" He sits up for a better look at the view.

"Same size as the Earth... same air... same orbit... lovely! Call goes out, the humans move in!"

"What's the city called?" Rose asks

"New New York." Answers the Doctor

"Oh, come on." Rose laughs, skeptically while I chuckle.

"It is! It's the City of New New York!" He pauses, thinking. "Strictly speaking, it's the fifteenth New York since the original. So that makes it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. Rose smiles at him, reminiscing. He notices.

"What?"

"You're so different." She says, thoughtfully. I quickly remember that to them he has only just regenerated.

"New New Doctor." He responds and Rose giggles and the Doctor chuckles.

Rose gets to her feet. "Can we go and visit New New York... so good they named it twice?" The Doctor and I also get up "Well... I thought we might go there first." He nods towards a large building in the distance, on the coast.

"Why? What is it?" Rose asks as The Doctor has trouble getting his coat on because of the wind, so Rose helps him. As she does, he says

"Some sort of hospital. Green moon on the side... that's the universal symbol for hospitals, and I got this."

He pulls out his psychic paper. "A message on the psychic paper. The words: Ward 26... Please Come." He pauses "Someone wants to see me."

He tucks it back in his pocket.

Rose smiles "Hmm! And I thought we were just sight-seeing. Come on then! Let's go and buy some grapes." She links her arm through his, and I clamber on his back. I turn around, having the strange feeling we're being watched, before The Doctor starts running towards the large hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

_I turn around, having the strange feeling we're being watched, before the Doctor starts running towards the large hospital._

We walk through the hospital doors and into the reception. I am too busy thinking about the fact this hospital looks just like the one I was in in my vision. I look around for any more symbols of my dream but I see none.

"Bit rich coming from you." Rose snorts as I pay attention to the conversation once more

"I can't help it! I don't like hospitals... they give me the creeps!" He argues back

Suddenly, a PA announcement goes off. "The Pleasure Gardens will now take visitors carrying green or blue identification cards for the next fifteen minutes. Visitors are reminded that cuttings from the gardens are not permitted."

Rose looks around "Very smart. Not exactly NHS."

"No shop. I like the little shop!" whines the Doctor as he too looks around.

"I thought this far in the future, they'd have cured everything." Rose frowns

"The human race moves on, but so do the viruses. It's an ongoing war." Explains The doctor.

A cat nurse walks by and nods politely to Rose, the Doctor and I. Rose stares at her.

Rose points in shock. "They're cats!"

"Now, don't stare... think what you look like to them, all..." He looks her up and down. "Pink and yellow." He chastises lightly. "That's where I'd put the shop!" He points over Rose's shoulder. "Right there!" While Rose is looking at the cat nurse again, he walks over to the lift and steps inside. "Ward 26, thanks!" The Doctor says to the panel.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Cries Rose, realizing that the Doctor and I are going to leave without her. She rushes to the lift, but too late... the doors have closed. The Doctor talks to her through the glass doors "Oh, too late... I'm going up."

"It's all right, there's another lift." Sighs Rose. She rushes to the other lift and presses the button.

"Ward 26. And watch out for the disinfectant!" yells the Doctor as we start to move.

"Watch out for what?" comes Rose's faint voice.

"The Disinfectant!"

"What?"

"The dis-oh, you'll find out." He sighs, giving up.

"Um, Doctor?" I ask, from my perch on his back "What is the disinfectant?"

"It's-"

"Commence stage one... disinfection." The elevator announces. Green lights flash on and the Doctor and I are soaked in a shower of disinfectant. He is perfectly calm about this, while I shriek in surprise, my arms flailing as I try to block it from hitting my face, causing me to slide off his back and onto the squinted eyes, I watch as the Doctor smooths one hand through his hair, seemingly enjoying it. A white powder is puffed onto The Doctor and I. He barely reacts, while I gasp in shock, squeezing my eyes shut. A blow-dryer engages. The Doctor looks as though he is enjoying the experience immensely, spreading his coat out to dry and smiling happily. I try my best to tidy my hair. The lift doors slide open at ward 26 and the Doctor steps out, looking very well groomed. His hair is perfectly tidy for once.I follow him, and he takes my hand in his.

The Doctor and I are lead into the ward by Sister Jatt, who is a cat nurse. He looks around, "Nice place. No shop, downstairs. I'd have a shop. Not a big one... just a shop. So people can shop." He rambles

"The hospital is a place of healing." Answers Sister Jatt.

"A shop does some people the world of good. Not me. Other people..." The Doctor tries to resurrect his shop idea. We walk down the corridor, looking at various aliens, all ill with something.

"The Sisters of Plentitude take a lifelong vow to help and to mend." Explains the sister.

We pass a bed holding an extremely fat man looking as though he is about to turn to stone. By the bed is a very prim woman.

"Excuse me!" she cries indignantly as she approaches the Doctor. "Members of the public may only gaze upon the Duke of Manhattan with written permission from the Senate of New New York."

The Doctor, nodding to the Duke: That's Petrifold Regression, right?"

"I'm dying, sir. A lifetime of charity and abstinence, and it ends like this." "Any statements made by the Duke of Manhattan may not be made public without official clearance." Snaps the woman again

The Duke gasps "Frau Clovis!" She rushes to his side. He grasps her hand.

"I'm so weak!" he wails

"Sister Jatt! A little privacy, please!" Snarls Frau Clovis

The nurse leads the Doctor and I away.

"He'll be up and about in no time." The nurse says to us

"I doubt it. Petrifold Regression? He's turning to stone. There won't be a cure for... oh... a thousand years? He might be up and about, but only as a statue..." The Doctor responds, nonchalantly.

"Have faith in the sisterhood. But is there no one here you recognise? It's rather unusual to visit without knowing the patient." Continues the nurse

"No. I think I've found him." Sister Jatt and I follow the Doctor's gaze. A huge face, in a glass aquarium sleeps in the corner of the ward by the window. We approach him and the nurse he is with. Its the same alien from my vision.

"Novice Hame... if I can leave this gentleman in your care?" the nurse says to the other cat nurse. Suddenly, I realise Rose is missing.

"Doctor, where's Rose?" I whisper

"Oh, I think my friend got lost. Uh... Rose Tyler. Could you ask at reception?" He asks Sister Jatt

"Certainly, sir." She leaves. Novice Hame and the Doctor look at the giant face.

"I'm afraid the Face of Boe's asleep. That's all he tends to do these days. Are you a friend, or...?"

"We met just the once on Platform One. What's wrong with him?"

"I'm so sorry. I thought you knew. The Face of Boe is dying."

"Of what?"

"Old age. The one thing we can't cure. He's thousands of years old. Some people say millions. Although, that's impossible."

The Doctor smiles "Oh, no... I like impossible." He kneels before the Face of Boe.

"I'm here. I look a bit different, but it's me... it's the Doctor.." He places a hand on the tank. The Face of Boe sighs.

I daydream as The Doctor talks with The Face of Boe. I look around, waiting for Rose's return, with a sinking feeling. I only start paying attention when The Doctor crosses the ward and gives Novice Hame a glass of water. I follow.

"That's very kind. But there's no need." She says, politely.

"You're the one working." He responds

"There's not much to do. Just maintain his smoke. I suppose I'm company as well. I can hear him singing, sometimes. In my mind... such ancient songs...

"Am I the only visitor?" The Doctor asks,

"The rest of Boe-kind became extinct. Long ago. He's the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe has watched the universe grow old." The Doctor smiles.

"There's all sorts of superstitions around him. One story says that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret. That he will speak those words only to one like himself.

"What does that mean?" I ask

"It's just a story." She tells me

"Tell me the rest." Says the Doctor, interested

"It's said he'll talk to a wanderer, to the man without a home. The lonely God."

I watch the Doctor's eyes grow sad and I feel the same pity I felt for him when I saw his past. The lonely god seems about right.

"Well, I better call Rose and see what she's gotten herself into" he snaps out of his puppy-dog sad expression. "Do you have a phone I could use?"

Novice Hame directs us to a comically large phone. The Doctor dials and puts it on speaker so I can hear as he waits for Rose to pick up. She does.

"Umm. Wotcha?" Rose's strangely distorted voice comes through the speaker on the phone.

"Where have you been?" He chastises. "How long does it take to get to Ward 26?"

"I'm on my way, governor. I shall proceed up the Apples and Pears."

I stare at the phone in confusion. Her voice is so wrong and so forced.

"You'll never guess. I'm with the Face of Boe! Remember him?" Asks The Doctor, too excited to notice the change in Rose.

A choked laugh comes through the phone "Course I do... that big old... boat... race..."

I stare at the phone in horror, but the Doctor is distracted by something else "I'd better go. See you in a minute." He cuts the call and heads over to the Duke's bed. The Duke is laughing. He and Frau Clovis both have a glass of champagne.

"Didn't think I was going to make it!" He booms

The Doctor steps into view, with me hiding behind his legs slightly.

"It's that man again!" cries the Duke

The Doctor smiles, scratching his ear absent-mindedly.  
"He's my good luck charm! Come in! Don't be shy!"

"Any friendship expressed by the Duke of Manhattan does not constitute a form of legal contract." Pipes up the annoying little woman from beside him. The Doctor nods.

"Winch me up." He gives the Doctor the thumbs up. Frau Clovis presses a button on a remote and the bed tilts forwards.

"Ah! Look at me! No sign of infection!"

A waiter comes over to the Doctor "Champagne sir?"

"No thanks. Uh... you had Petrifold Regression, right?"

"That being the operative word! Past tense! Completely cured." The Duke replies, as he laughs joyfully.

"But that's impossible." The Doctor responds half to himself.

A new NurseCat responds to the Doctor "Primitive species would accuse us of magic, but it's merely the tender application of science."

The Doctor stares at her "How on Earth did you cure him?"

"How on New Earth, you might say." She responds

The Doctor, nodding to the drip, asks "What's in that solution?"

"A simple remedy." She replies

"Then tell me what it is." Challenges the Doctor

"I'm sorry. Patient confidentiality. I don't believe we've met. My name is Matron Casp." She extends her paw, coldly

"I'm the Doctor." Responds The Doctor

"I think you'll find that we're the Doctors here."

I notice Sister Jatt comes over and I catch her whisper into Matron Casp's ear "Matron Casp... you're needed in intensive care."

"If you would excuse me." Matron Casp says, walking away.

The Doctor nods to her and she leaves with Sister Jatt. He watches them walk away. I hear faint whispers among them.

"It's happened again… patient is conscious...can't have that…"

I frown and look up at The Doctor, who watches them suspiciously.

The Doctor turns and pulls out his glasses in a swift motion and starts looking at various drips going into patients. I catch sight of Rose, finally emerging onto Ward 26, smoothing down her hair. She spots us, and smiles when he notices her.

"There you are! Come and look at this patient!" He cries, as he takes her arm and shows her a patient whose skin is completely red, as he takes his glasses off.

"Marconi's Disease. Should take years to recover. Two days. I've never seen anything like it... they've invented a cell washing cascade... it's amazing. Their medical science is way advanced. And this one!" He leads us to another bed sporting a man who is completely white. "Pallidome Pancrosis. Kills you in ten minutes, and he's fine! He waves cheerily to the patient. "I need to find a terminal. I've got to see how they do this." We walk off, and I notice Rose is walking rather differently.

"Because if they've got the best medicine in the world... then why's it such a secret?" He mutters

"I can't Adam and Eve it." Rose says as she stops dead, nearly making me run right into her.

The Doctor looks confused, noticing the voice change in Rose "What's... what's with the voice?"

"Oh, I don't know..." She looks up at him with a new gleam in her eyes "just larking about New Earth... New me..." She looks him up and down. He finally seems to notice that most of the buttons on her shirt are undone. I fight a roll of my eyes as he tries not to look at her vary obvious cleavage.

"Well, I can talk. New New Doctor." He grins, keeping his eyes meeting hers.

"Mmm... aren't you just..." she purrs, and my jaw drops as she very suddenly pulls his face towards her and plants a huge snog on his lips. It lasts for several moments, as her hands ravage his hair. When she finally pulls away, he looks extremely shocked, slightly bashful, and she's slightly breathless. He stares at her.

"T... terminal's this way." She walks off, exhaling slightly.

He watches her go looking extremely dazed and tousled. I fight a giggle at the look on his face, before remembering that this is so out of character for Rose.

The Doctor swallows hard, his voice high pitched as he says "Yep... still got it..." I chuckle as he smirks slightly, following her, smoothing his hair down.


	5. Chapter 5

_The Doctor swallows hard, his voice high pitched as he says "Yep... still got it..." I chuckle as he smirks slightly, following her, smoothing his hair down._

I remember the weird woman I saw in my vision and I wonder if she has possessed Rose the way I had foreseen.

The Doctor and "Rose" are looking at details of the hospital on a screen when I finally pay attention.

"Nope... nothing odd... surgery... post-op...nano-dentistry... no sign of a shop... they should have a shop…"

"It's missing something else. When I was downstairs, those Nurse/Cat/ Nuns were talking about Intensive Care. Where is it...?" "Rose" mutters

"You're right, well done. Why would they hide a whole department?" The Doctor takes his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

"It's gotta be there somewhere. Search the sub-frame." "Rose" suggests

"What if the sub-frame's locked?" The Doctor is staring at her strangely

"Try the installation protocol..." "Rose" answers, as if it should be obvious

"Yeah, course. Sorry. Hold on." He blinks, surprised, before he turns back to the screen. He clicks his sonic screwdriver off and the entire wall moves downwards, revealing a secret corridor behind. "Rose" smiles and walks straight into it. The Doctor and I follow.

I stare, worried that The Doctor hasn't noticed the change in her.

"Intensive Care. Certainly looks intensive." I say, looking around. We go down metal steps into Intensive Care. We find ourselves in a huge cavernous chamber, looking upon row and row of green doors. The Doctor walks along one of the rows and opens a door with his sonic screwdriver. A man, covered in boils and surrounded by smoke looks back at them.

"That's disgusting. What's wrong with him?" "Rose" cries

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The Doctor looks horrified as he speaks to the man. I freeze as I realize this man looks like the sick crowd of zombies I saw in my vision. "Rose" holds her nose whilst the Doctor closes the door gently. He opens another. A sad woman, looking exactly likes the other man stares sadly at us.

"What disease is that?" I ask

The Doctor speaks, quietly and disgusted "All of them. Every single disease in the galaxy, they've been infected with everything."

"What about us? Are we safe?" Panics "Rose"

"Air's sterile. Just don't touch them." In my eyes, the flash of the sick person touching Rose.

The Doctor shuts the door and then leans over the railing, looking upon the rows of doors. "Rose" and I follow.

"How many patients are there?" gasps "Rose"

"They're not patients." The Doctor says, grimly

"But they're sick." I respond, confused

"They were born sick. They're meant to be sick. They exist to be sick. Lab rats. No wonder the Sisters have got a cure for everything. They've built the ultimate research laboratory. A Human farm." He snarls, furious

"Why don't they just die?" Asks "Rose" as I cover my mouth in horror.

"Plague carriers. The last to go." Sighs the Doctor

"It's for the greater cause." We turn and Novice Hame stands there

"Novice Hame. When you took your vows, did you agree to this?" The Doctor asks

"The Sisterhood has sworn to help." She answers, vaguely

"What, by killing?" Shouts the Doctor in outrage

"But they're not real people. They're specially grown. They have no proper existence." She answers, gently

Fury boils inside of me and The Doctor advances on her "What's the turnover? Hm? Thousand a day? Thousand the next? Thousand the next? How many thousand? For how many years? How many?" He shouts at her

"Mankind needed us. They came to this planet with so many illnesses. We couldn't cope. We did try. We tried everything. We tried using clone-meat and bio-cattle... but the results were too slow. So the sisterhood grew its own flesh. That's all they are. Flesh." She attempts to justify her actions as I boil with hatred.

"These people are alive." He growls

"But think of those Humans out there... healthy... and happy, because of us." She tries again

"If they live because of this, then life is worthless." The Doctor's voice is broken

"But who are you to decide that?" Challenges Novice Hame

The Doctor steps forward with a sense of purpose. "I'm the Doctor. And if you don't like it... if you want to take it to a higher authority, then there isn't one. It stops with me."

"Just to confirm... none of the Humans in the city actually know about this?" Questions "Rose" from behind The Doctor

"We thought it best not..." Starts Novice Hame

"Hold on." Interrupts the Doctor "I can understand the bodies. I can understand your vows. But one thing I can't understand... what have you done to Rose?"

I nearly faint with relief that he finally noticed something was wrong with her

"I don't know what you mean." Answers Novice Hame

The Doctor's eyes narrow, and his voice is deadly, and quiet "And I'm being very, very calm. You wanna beware of that... very, very calm. And the only reason I'm being so very, very calm is that the brain is a delicate thing. Whatever you've done to Rose's head, I want it reversed."

"We haven't done anything." Protests Novice Hame

"I'm perfectly fine." Offers "Rose"

"These people are dying, and Rose would care." The Doctor explains to novice Hame and I

"Oh, all right, clever clogs." Sighs "Rose"

She spins him around to face her, and starts pulling his tie out flirtatiously, inching his face closer and closer to her lips. His eyes are stone cold as she huskily whispers

"Smarty pants…Lady-killer."

"What's happened to you?" demands The Doctor

"I knew something was going on in this hospital, but I needed this body and your mind to find it out." Smirks "Rose"

"Who are you?" He demands

"Rose" stands on tiptoes to whisper into the Doctor's ear "The Last Human."

The Doctor yanks out of her grasp surprised "Cassandra?" he demands

"Wake up and smell the perfume!" She takes a tube of perfume from her chest and squirts it in the Doctor's face. He immediately keels over, unconscious.

"No!" I scream, ducking behind Novice Hame as Cassandra tries to spray me as well.

"You've hurt him! I don't understand... I'll have to fetch Matron!" says Novice Hame as she kneels down to touch the Doctor's cheek

"You do that, 'cause I want to see her. Now, run along! Sound the alarm!" Smirks Cassandra

Novice Hame hurries off.

"Stop!" I cry, not willing to walk within range of Cassandra's perfume but desperately wishing to be able to stop her.

"Oh, hush, fetus." She snarls "Or you'll end up like your precious Doctor!" Cassandra rips a cable out and an alarm goes off. She smiles, satisfied.

I watch in silent horror as Cassandra picks the Doctor up and places him in an empty holding cell, where the disease-ridden men and women are. I find a lose pipe and grab it, sneaking behind Cassandra, I wince as I try to ignore the fact I am hitting Rose's body.

I lift my arm and whack Cassandra's knee. She buckles and the perfume goes rolling down the hallway and off the ledge into oblivion.

"You evil little thing!" Cries Cassandra as she picks herself up.

I brandish my pipe fiercely now that she is unarmed.

She charges, and I jab my pipe like a sword at her, causing her to recoil.

She tries again but I keep her at bay.

Finally, she manages to wrench the pipe from my hand.

She takes a coil of rope from a pile on the floor and grabs me when I try to duck out of her way. She slams me against the wall, and the breath is knocked out of me, causing me to stop fighting. She ties one of my wrists to the pole overlooking the chasm.

"Let me out! Let me out!" I hear The Doctor's muffled voice from inside the cell, and Cassandra and I look up. She turns and looks through the door.

"Aren't you lucky there was a spare? Standing room only" She pouts at him

"You've stolen Rose's body." He cries

Cassandra pays no attention "Over the years, I've thought of a thousand ways to kill you, Doctor. And now, that's exactly what I've got. One thousand diseases. They pump the patients with a top-up every ten minutes. You've got about... three minutes left. Enjoy."

"No!" I say, again,

"Quiet Pest" snarls Cassandra

"Just let Rose and Wolfe go, Cassandra."

"I will! As soon as I've found someone younger and... less common... then I'll junk her with the waste. As for the little pest, I think she'll make a fine slave. Much stronger and smarter than my little Chip. Now hushaby! It's showtime!"

Matron Casp and Sister Jatt approach Cassandra

Sister Jatt speaks softly "Anything we can do to help?"

"Straight to the point, Whiskers... I want money." Cassandra answers, swiftly

"The Sisterhood is a charity. We don't give money. We only... accept." "The Humans across the water pay you a fortune. And that's exactly what I need. A one-off payment. That's all I want... oh, and perhaps a yacht. In return for which, I shall tell the City nothing of your institutional murder. Is that a deal?"

Sister Jatt presses a few buttons on a remote.

"I'm afraid not." Says Matron Casp

"I'd really advise you to think about this." Says Cassandra evilly

"There's no need. I have to decline." Answers Matron Casp

"I'll tell them! And you've no way of stopping me! You're not exactly Nuns with Guns... you're not even armed." Yells Cassandra

"Who needs arms when we have claws?" Her claws shoot out of her paws and she hisses menacingly.

"No!" I yell, worried for Rose's body

"Well, nice try." Smirks Cassandra. She spins around to call to Chip who is waiting nearby.

"Chip? Plan B!

Chip pulls a lever and every cell door on the row springs open. The Doctor steps out of his cell, and also the infected people.

"What've you done?" Screams the Doctor as all of the infected people stand, dazed in their cells.

"Gave the system a shot of adrenaline, just to wake 'em up. See ya!" She runs off.

"Don't touch them!" the Doctor cries as he runs to me, untying my wrist, which is bleeding from the friction of my attempted escape.

"Whatever you do, don't touch!" he takes my hand, leading me from the now awake infected people, who are starting to hurry after us.

The Doctor, Cassandra, Chip and I pause for a moment and watch all the zombies break out of their cells.

"Oh, my God..." gasps Cassandra

"What the hell have you done?" I shriek

"One touch and you get every disease in the world, and I want that body safe, Cassandra! We've gotta go down! The zombies are advancing." Explains The Doctor

"But there's thousands of them!" Cassandra cries, fear in her voice

"Run! Down! Down! Go down!" Cries The Doctor

We run down the stairs.

The zombies follow us down the stairs, arms outstretched.


	6. Chapter 6

_The zombies follow us down the stairs, arms outstretched_

"Keep going! Go down!" cries the Doctor

Finally, we descend the last flight of stairs and burst through a door into the cellar. Cassandra frantically tries to operate the lifts.

"No, the lifts have closed down. That's the quarantine, nothing's moving." Explains The Doctor

"This way!" Cries Cassandra. She runs the other way, the Doctor on her heels. I pant, trying to keep up, but I am too small. The zombies are gaining quickly. More of the infected people are beginning to spill out from converging corridor. Chip is left behind. He whimpers.  
"Someone will touch him!" I cry, as I turn back

"Leave him! He's just a clone thing, he's only got a half life... come on!" Cassandra cries as the Doctor turns to help

"Mistress!" wails Chip, but Cassandra is already running in the opposite direction. The Doctor swings me onto his back, as he yells back to Chip

"I'm sorry, I can't let her escape!"

We run after her and rush into a new room, slamming the door behind us. Cassandra tries another door but seeing the zombies all clambering to get in behind it, slams it shut again.

Cassandra wails in fear "We're trapped! What're we going to do?"

"Well, for starters, you're going to leave that body." The Doctor growls, as I slide off his back "You're compressing Rose to death"

"But I've got nowhere to go. My original skin's dead." Moans Cassandra

"Not my problem. You can float as atoms in the air. Now, get out." He points his sonic screwdriver at her threateningly. "Give her back to me."

"You asked for it." Snarls Cassandra, as a cloud of light, leaps from Rose's body into the Doctors.

"Blimey, my head..." Rose's voice returns as she looks around the room. "Where'd she go...?"

"Rose!" I cry, running to her to give her a hug.

We both turn in horror as the Doctor begins to speak "Oh, my. This is... different."

"Cassandra?" I ask, tentatively

"Goodness me, I'm a man. Yum. So many parts! And hardly used..." I don't know whether to laugh or cry as The Doctor wiggles around crazily.

"Ah.. ah! Two hearts! Oh, baby, I'm beating out a samba!" He begins to dance in the weirdest way I have ever seen, and I can't resist a giggle, despite the gravity of the situation.

"Get out of him." Orders Rose

The Doctor runs a hand down his body, admiring "Ooh, he's slim. And a little bit foxy." He raises his eyebrows at Rose.

"You've thought so too. I've been inside your head..." I look at Rose as she sheepishly blushes and looks down.

The Doctor slinks closer, almost trying to be sexy "You've been looking... you like it." He drawls, tongue lolling, eyes wide, as he comes creepily close to Rose.

The zombie people suddenly burst through the doors making us jump.

"What do we do? What would he do? The Doctor... What the hell would he do?!" Cassandra screams at Rose.

Rose looks around "Ladder... we've gotta get up!" she cries spotting the ladder. Cassandra shoves Rose roughly out of the way to get to the ladder first.

"Out of the way, Blondie!" she cries.

I suddenly remember that in my vision, Rose was last in line. If I could just get her to the ladder before me, she'll live…

The zombies come even closer.

"Wolfe Hurry!" cries Rose, waiting for me

'You first, I yell, running to her

"No!" She says, pausing

"Go!" I cry, and she starts up the ladder to my relief. I barely make it up after her before a infected hand slams on the bar where my foot just was. We continue scrambling, further and further upwards.

"If you get out of the Doctor's body, he can think of something." Cries Rose

"Yap yap yap... God, it was tedious inside your head. Hormone City." Cassandra moans

"We're gonna die if..." starts Rose

A hand closes around my ankle and I scream. Looking down, I see its just Matron Casp.

"Get off!" I yell, panicking as I shake my foot, unable to move from the growing cloud of zombies behind us.

"All our good work! All that healing! The good name of the Sisterhood... you have destroyed everything!" Matron Casp cries

"Go and play with a ball of string." Dismisses Cassandra as she continues up the ladder. Rose doesn't move.

"Get off of her!" She yells, but is unable to do anything

"Everywhere... disease! This is the Human World. Sickness!" cries the Matron

A diseased hand grabs Matron Casp's ankle. She wails in pain and breaks out into boils. She falls down the lift shaft, wailing. After watching her fall, the zombie people start to climb the ladder again.

"Move!" Rose cries and I start up the ladder on more.

The PA system goes off "Maximum quarantine. Divert all shuttles."

We get to the top of the ladder and climb into the very small ledge of the shaft only to find the lift doors are sealed.

"Now what do we do?" wails Cassandra

"Use the sonic screwdriver." Orders Rose

Cassandra takes it out of his pocket between his thumb and forefinger with his nose wrinkled. "You mean this thing?" she checks

"Yes, I mean that thing." cries Rose

"Well, I don't know how... that Doctor's hidden away all his thoughts!"

"Cassandra, go back into me... the Doctor can open it. Do it!"

"Hold on tight." Order Cassandra as she leaps back into Rose. "Oh... oh, chavtastic again. Open it!"

The Doctor points his sonic screwdriver at her "Not 'til you get out of her."

"We need the Doctor." Cries Cassandra

"I order you to leave her!" Shouts The Doctor

Cassandra leaps back into the Doctor.

"No matter how difficult the situation, there is no need to shout." Cassandra says from inside the Doctor

"Cassandra, get out of him!" Orders Rose

"But I can't go into you, he simply refuses... he's so rude!"

"I don't care. Just do something." Answers Rose

"Oh, I am so gonna regret this..." Cassandra leaps from the Doctor's body into a mine. My mind clouds and I fight the new mind in my head. My whole being aches from being compressed by Cassandra

"Oh, sweet Lord... I look disgusting." Cassandra wails through my mouth.

The Doctor opens the lift doors and holds out a hand to Rose.

"Nice to have you back." He grins

"No you don't!" Cassandra cries, leaping up the ladder and landing beside them in my body. She leaps back into Rose, who is crouched on the floor, and my head is free again. I stumble with vertigo.

The Doctor seals off the door, which blocks the infected zombies

"That was your last warning, Cassandra!"

The Doctor holds out a hand, which Cassandra-Rose takes. He pulls her to her feet. The diseased people bang on the lift doors. The Doctor, Cassandra and I walk off, through a door, which leads back onto Ward 26. Frau Clovis appears out of nowhere, brandishing a chair at us menacingly, roaring like a wild animal.

"We're safe! We're safe! We're safe. We're clean! We're clean! Look, look..." Cries The Doctor

"Show me your skin." She orders

We all present our arms for inspection

"Look! Clean. Look... if we'd been touched, we'd be dead." The Doctor continues

Frau Clovis nods and puts the chair down.

"So, how's it going up here? What's the status?" asks the Doctor

"There's nothing but silence from the other wards. I think we're the only ones left. And I've been trying to override the quarantine." Answers Frau Clovis as she fiddles with a small device she is holding. "If I can trip a signal over to New New York, they can send a private executive squad." "You can't do that. If they forced entry, they'd break quarantine." Argues the Doctor

"I am not dying in here." She responds

"We can't let a single particle of disease get out... there is ten million people in that city, they'd all be at risk! Now, turn that off!"

"Not if it gets me out." She replies, stubborn

"All right, fine. So I have to stop you lot as well. Suits me. Rose. Wolfe. Novice Hame. Everyone! Excuse me your grace... get me intravenous solutions for every single disease. Move it!" We all gather the solutions. The Doctor ties a rope around his body and Cassandra attaches the solutions to it so they hang off him.

"How's that? Will that do?" Demands the Doctor

"I don't know! Will it do for what?" I cry as The Doctor opens the doors to the lift with his sonic screwdriver.

"The lifts aren't working." Argues Cassandra

The Doctor peers down the shaft.

"Not moving. Different thing." He steps right back, ready for a running jump. "Here we go." He sticks the sonic screwdriver between his teeth and runs.

"But you're not going to... " starts Cassandra

He jumps into the middle of the shaft and clings onto the rope.

"What do you think you're doing?!" I cry

"I'm going down!" He fixes up the wench with his sonic screwdriver. Cassandra looks away, exasperated.

"Come on!" he calls to us

"Not in a million years." Snorts Cassandra

"I need another pair of hands. What do you think? If you're so desperate to stay alive... Why don't you live a little?" grins the Doctor

"I'll go!" I cry, grabbing the rope and hanging on with him.

More zombies emerge from the quarantine.

"Seal the door!"

"Oh, hell." Groans Cassandra, jumping down, and clinging to The Doctor's back the way I usually do. "You're completely mad. I can see why she likes you." Groans Cassandra

"Doctor!" I cry, climbing down the rope, swinging around and clinging to his neck, my legs wrapped the opposite way around his back.

"Going down!" cries the Doctor, and we whizz down the shaft, screaming. We straighten ourselves out when we reach the bottom.

"Well, that's one way to lose weight." Groans Cassandra

"Now, listen... when I say so, take hold of that lever." Starts The Doctor

"There's still a quarantine down there, we can't..." Starts Cassandra

"Hold that lever!" he shouts, suddenly very fed up with Cassandra

Cassandra backs down.

"Wolfe, help her. I'm cooking up a cocktail. I know a bit about medicine myself."

He rips the tops of the packets of each solution with his teeth and skirts them into the clear container where the disinfectant for the lift should go. "Now, that lever's going to resist. But keep it in position." He opens a trapdoor in the top of the lift. "Hold onto it with everything you've got."

"What about you?" I ask him, worried

"I've got an appointment. The Doctor is in." He drops down into the lift.

"I'm in here, come on!" his voice comes to us, and through the glass we can see the huge amount of infected people rush towards him

"Don't tell them!" shrieks Cassandra

"Pull that lever!" cries the Doctor

Cassandra and I pull with all our might.

The infected people stagger towards the lift.

"Come and get me, come on! I'm in here, come on!" They reach out to him.

One reaches up and for Rose's ankle, just as I saw in the dream

"No!" I screech, throwing myself in front of the hand so it grabs onto my wrist.

"No!" screams The Doctor as he sees me.

Pain rockets through my body as the disease spreads.


	7. Chapter 7

_Pain rockets through my body as the disease spreads._

" Commence stage one... disinfection." The PA sounds

The solution showers into the lift, soaking the Doctor. The infected people stumble into the shower and are also coated with the medicine. I gasp as I am drenched with the cure.

"All they wanna do is pass it on. Pass it on!" cries the Doctor, joyously

"Pass on what? Pass on what?!" cries Cassandra

"Pass it on!" the Doctor continues to yell, joyfully

The infected people touch each other, and pass on their good health. The boils begin to disappear. The Doctor grins manically. Cassandra jumps down into the lift with the Doctor's help. I get up more slowly my body still trying to recover from my quick bought of illness.

"What did they pass on? Did you kill them? All of them?" demands Cassandra as I leave the lift, following the Doctor and Cassandra.

"No. That's your way of doing things." He walks into their midst. "I'm the Doctor and I cured them."

The new humans look around at their surroundings, slightly child-like. A woman comes up to the Doctor and hugs him.

"That's right! Hey, hey! There we go, sweetheart! Ay? Look at him..." He ushers her off to sit with someone. "Go on, that's it! That's it! It's a new sub-species, Cassandra!" He takes a man by the shoulders and looks at him. "A brand new form of life! New Humans! Look at them, look!" He bends down to look at them with a huge smile on his face. "Grown by cats... kept in the dark, fed by tubes... but completely, completely alive!" He points at Cassandra "You can't deny them, because you helped create them."

Cassandra rolls her eyes.

"The human race just keeps on going. Keeps on changing. Life will out! Ha!"

A loudspeaker goes off "This is the NNYPD. Please step away from the shuttles."

The hospital is swarming with police officers when the Doctor, still wet and in shirtsleeves, Cassandra, and I emerge back onto the ward.

The PA goes off again "All staff will present themselves to the officers for immediate arrest. I repeat... immediate arrest. All new life forms will be catalogued and taken into care." Novice Hame is lead away by a police officer. She catches the Doctor's eye. He does not smile.

"All visitors to the hospital will be required to make a statement to the NNYPD." Continues the PA

"Face of Boe!" cries The Doctor. He dashes off again. Cassandra rolls her eyes before following. I follow closely behind her.

The Doctor approaches the Face of Boe who looks very much alive and well.

"You were supposed to be dying." Smiles the Doctor

"There are better things to do today. Dying can wait." He says, telepathically

"Oh, I hate telepathy. Just what I need, a head full of big face." Snorts Cassandra

"Shh!" I snap at her

"I have grown tired with the universe, Doctor, but you have taught me to look at it anew." Continues the Face of Boe

The Doctor kneels beside the glass case of The Face of Boe

"There are legends you know, saying that you're millions of years old."

"There are? That would be impossible." Chuckles The face of Boe

"Wouldn't it just? I got the impression... there was something you wanted to tell me..." The Doctor trails off

"A great secret." Answers the face of Boe, impassively

"So the legend says." Grins The Doctor

"It can wait." The face of Boe answers

"Oh, does it have to?" whines The Doctor

"We shall meet again, Doctor, for the third time... for the last time... and the truth shall be told. Until that day..." He teleports himself away.

"That is enigmatic. That... that is... that is textbook enigmatic." Nods the Doctor, impressed.

He nods to himself, and then stands to face at Cassandra, who has been examining her nails, completely disinterested in the proceedings.

"And now for you." The Doctor says, Darkly

"But... everything's happy. Everything's fine... can't you just leave me? "You've lived long enough. Leave that body and end it, Cassandra." He says, calmly

"I don't want to die!" She starts to cry

"No one does."

"Help me!"

"I can't." Sighs the Doctor

Chip appears, making Cassandra gasp.

"Mistress!" Shrieks Chip, rushing to her

"Ah! You're alive!" Cassandra, says gratefully

"I kept myself safe for you, mistress."

" A body... and not just that, a volunteer..." She mutters

"Don't you dare. He's got a life of his own." The Doctor says, warningly

"But I worship the mistress! I welcome her." Chip says, almost pleadingly to the Doctor

"You can't, Cassandra, you..."The Doctor starts again

Cassandra ignores him and leaps into Chip's body. Rose falls forward with a gasp, and the Doctor lunges to catch her.

"Oh! You all right?" he asks her

Rose pauses and loses her balance again.

"Whoa! Okay?" asks The Doctor as I hurry to them

"Yeah..." Rose finally get her bearings and gathers herself together and finds herself staring right at the Doctor, being supported in his arms. She smiles.

"Hello!" she grins at the Doctor

"Hello. Welcome back." He grins down at her

They gaze at each other, smiling, lost in their own little word, when we are distracted again by Cassandra.

"Oh, sweet Lord. I'm a walking doodle." She moans

I hurry over to Rose and give her a hug while The Doctor argues with Cassandra

"You can't stay in there. I'm sorry, Cassandra, but that's not fair. I can take you to the City. They can build you a skin tank and you can stand trial for what you've done." The Doctor says fiercely

"Well, that would be rather dramatic. Possibly my finest hour. And certainly my finest hat." Sighs Cassandra, dramatically

The Doctor and Rose glance at each other. Rose in slight amusement and the Doctor in exasperation.

"But I'm afraid we don't have time. Poor little Chip is only a half-life. And he's been through so much. His heart is racing so. He's failing. I don't think he's going to last..." Chip's legs give way. Rose, the Doctor, and I lunge forward to support him.

"You all right?" I ask, worried

"I'm fine." She pauses. "I'm dying. But that's fine."

"I can take you to the City." Offers The Doctor

"No, you won't. Everything's new on this planet. There's no place for Chip and me anymore. You're right, Doctor. It's time to die."

Rose looks rather upset, and tears come to my eyes.

"And that's good." Cassandra swallows

The Doctor and Rose help her to her feet.

"Come on. There's one last thing I can do." They lead Cassandra away, with me following behind.

We leave the Tardis and I am surprised to see we're in a large party area. Doctor steps out of the doors, followed by Cassandra and Rose. Cassandra, as a proper human being is laughing and talking, the life and soul of the party. Cassandra in chip's body turns to the Doctor.

"Thank you." She whispers

"Just go. And don't look back." The doctor responds, gently

"Good luck." Rose says, softly

Cassandra-Chip walks into the midst of the party, up to Cassandra. He's smiling, watching her.

"…And if you'd actually seen them, they were shocked! But don't quote me on that. Oh, naughty. a bientôt!" She walks away from the group of people she was talking to and Cassandra/Chip approaches her.

"Excuse me... Lady Cassandra..." says Cassandra

"I'm sorry, I don't need anything right now... I'm fine, thank you." She turns away.

"No... I just wanted to say... you look beautiful."

Cassandra looks at him. "Well. That's very kind, you strange little thing. Thank you very much." She smiles slightly

"I mean it." Chip's body steps forward and looks straight into her eyes. "You look... so beautiful." Cassandra stares at him, touched.

"Thank you." Whisper Cassandra

Chip's eyelids flutter closed and he keels over.

"Oh, my Lord. Are you alright? What is it? What's wrong? Someone get some help!" Cries Cassandra as she gathers him into her arms. "Call a medic or something, quickly!"

"Who is he?" asks a woman from the crowd

"I don't know. He just came up to me. I don't even know his name. He just collapsed. I think he's dying. Someone do something! I've got you, sweetheart... it's all right..." Cassandra says to Chip's dying body.

Rose looks close to tears, and the Doctor is watching solemnly. Tears drip down my face.

Cassandra gently rocks him, murmuring "There you are... there you are, I've got you... it'll be all right. There, there, you poor little thing... "

The Doctor, Rose and I walk slowly back to the TARDIS. The Doctor pauses for one last look before following Rose and I through the doors.

I try to hurry away from them as I enter, wanting to avoid having them see the tears, which are covering my shirtfront now.

A warm hand on my shoulder stops me.

I turn , looking down at the familiar white converse which The Doctor wears.

"Come here." He whispers, softly as he kneels in front of me.

I let out a sob as I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

He wraps his arms around my back, pressing soft kiss to the top of my head. Slowly I feel Rose wrap her arms around me from behind and I feel her tears on my back as well.

After a little while, I've stopped crying and Rose, The Doctor and I finally broke up our hug. Rose went to shower in another room but The Doctor insisted he take me to the med bay because I had been touched.

"Why did you do that?" He asks softly as he takes some of my blood for the Tardis to measure.

"Do what?" I ask back

"Jump in front of Rose. You knew it was coming before the hand appeared. You were already there."  
"I saw it." I explain "In a flash forward."

"The hand touched Rose didn't it?" he says, just as softly, as he begins to wrap my wrist, wounded from the rope Cassandra tied me with.

"Yes. But in the dream she died." I say back.

He stiffens slightly "You could have died."

"I know." I answer, easily.

"Wolfe, look at me."

I do.

"Next time you see a vision like that, tell me. Don't sacrifice yourself, okay?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Alright. It looks like everything is fine, so let's get you to bed."

He scoops my up, so my head is on his shoulder, and carries me towards my bedroom.

I shut my eyes, already drifting to sleep in his safe, warm embrace.

"Doctor." I hear Rose's soft whisper

"Yes?" He whispers back

" I know this morning was…weird and I'm sorry we never talked about it, I just wanted to say thank you for keeping me company last night."

"No problem Rose, anytime." he answers

"Do you want help tucking her in?" Offers Rose.

"If you want." Answers The Doctor and I hear Rose's footsteps follow his as they make their way to my room.

Rose opens the covers while The Doctor lays me down in the bed.

The Doctor lifts up the covers and tucks them in around my sides just like he did last night.

"It's amazing how quickly she seems like she belongs here." Sighs Rose.

"That's how quickly you fit in, you know." Chuckles The Doctor "I knew you'd be amazing to travel with as soon as I took your hand and told you 'Run'."

"Really?" Rose grins

"Definitely. Your fate was sealed when you came down to save me from the Autons on that rope like Tarzan " Answers The Doctor, and both of them chuckle quietly.

Then, I feel Rose's soft kiss on my forehead.  
"Goodnight Wolfe." She whispers, and she and The Doctor leave.

I drift off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

_"Goodnight Wolfe." She whispers, and she and The Doctor leave. I drift off to sleep._

The next morning I am up later than usual, tired from yesterday's adventure. I don't bother to dress, and I hurry from my bedroom in my pajamas to find myself some breakfast.

"Morning!" I say, cheerily as I enter the main console room

"Hello, Wolfe!" smiles The Doctor "You hungry?"

He offers me a plate of mini muffins.

"Are they all banana? I ask as I select two

"Of course!" He snorts "What other kind are there?"

I laugh as I bite into the muffin

"What are you working on?" I ask him

He is bent over the console, sonic screwdriver in hand, muttering as he tries to get something to work.

"Trying to fix the screen" he sighs "Rose tried to use it a few weeks ago and ever since then the monitor has been broken, and since I had a few minutes because I woke up early I figured I would fix it."

"Can I help?" I ask

"Sure." He smiles

I lean over the console, so we're shoulder to shoulder.

"See the blue wire?" He asks, and I catch sight of a robin egg blue wire.

"Yep."

"Pull it towards you and cut it with these." He says, handing me a small pair of wire cutters.

I do as he says, now holding the two halves of the wire.

"Alright, now jump start it by attaching both ends to my two cut ends." He orders, and he presses his two gold wires to my blue wires. Immediately, the screen comes on the monitor.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor and I cry at the same time.

Then we burst out laughing. He helps me to my feet and we l look at the monitor, which is playing "Beauty and The Beast". I laugh even harder.

"That's what Rose was trying to watch?"

"We like Disney." Shrugs the Doctor. "Oh, remind me for her birthday to take her to Disney…"

"Alright" I smile.

"You should go get ready. Think 1979." He suggests, wriggling his eyebrows in excitement.

I run off to my room, and quickly change into some '79 clothes the Tardis has suggested. It's a beautiful, pink polyester flowy dress, with a ballerina skirt, and a tight top, with a matching belt, sitting low on the hips. A matching pair of pale pink, Mary Jane's are on my feet. I giggle as I brush through my hair, tying it up in my usual ponytail.

I also find a pale pink ribbon, and tie it into my hair.

Turning to head back to the console room, I freeze as images of a large, black wolf-man howls, a woman with silvery hair stands firm, a diamond the size of a fist appears. I see A monk grab Rose from behind hauling her off as she wails, muffled behind his gloved hand. I see mistletoe. I see the wolf getting closer, and closer and closer, its jaws gaping at Rose, when it snatches her and rips her clean in half as she shrieks in pain and horror before it delivers the kill, her blood coating everything my shirt, my face, my-

"Wolfe?" A knock comes at my door, jolting me from the images, as The Doctor's voice comes through.

"I'm ready!" I call, hurrying to the door and opening it.

"Oh, you look lovely. Very 70's." he compliments, looking me up and down.

I giggle "Thank you!"

"Oh! By the way I want to show you and Rose something" He grins pulling out a CD, taking my hand and rushing us to the console room. Just as we arrive, we catch sight of Rose while she finishes zipping her bag up and shoves it out of the way. She stands, showing the Doctor and I what she is wearing.

She's in jean overalls, which ends in a skirt, very high above the knee. She has a pink shirt on underneath, and a wide grin.

"What do you think of this? Will it do?" She asks, spinning to show us.

"In the late 1970s? You'd be better off in a bin bag." He chuckles "Hold on, listen to this."

He bungs the CD in the player and a very loud, old rock song blasts

The Doctor starts wandering around the console.

"Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Number One in 1979." He crows

"You're a Punk!" Laughs Rose

The Doctor starts to sing with the song "It's good to be a lunatic..." "That's what you are. A big old Punk with a bit of Rockabillly thrown in!" she laughs again

"Would you like to see him?" he offers, and I gasp with joy

"How'd you mean? In concert?" Rose asks, surprised

"What else is a TARDIS for?" he laughs

We laugh with him and start dancing to the music around the console.

"I can take you to the Battle of Trafalgar... the first anti-gravity Olympics... Caesar crossing the Rubicon... or... Ian Dury at the Top Rank, Sheffield, England, Earth, 21st November, 1979. What do you think?" he offers

"Sheffield it is!" I cry

"Hold on tight." He pulls a lever and We lurch forward as the TARDIS shudders and spins through the Vortex. The Doctor whacks the console with a hammer to the beat of the music, shouting.

"Stop!" cries Rose as we laugh aloud.

The movement stops and we all fall on the floor, laughing our heads off. "1979. Hell of a year!" he cries, standing. He pulls Rose and I to our feet and we bound towards the doors.

"As China invades Vietnam... The Muppet Movie! Love that film. Margaret Thatcher... urgh... Skylab falls to Earth... with a little help from me... nearly took off my thumb. " He grabs his jacket and we all rush out of the Tardis, The Doctor first, Rose second and me bringing up the rear. "I like my thumb. I need my thumb. I'm very attached to..." He falters as we notice that Scottish soldiers on all sides surround us. Their guns raised. He puts his hands up and Rose and I follow suit. "... my thumb." Finishes the Doctor looking nervous.

The guns click ominously.

"1879. Same difference." He whispers to us, with realization.

"You will explain your presence. And the nakedness of these girls." Says a man, looking down his nose at us.

Rose looks down at herself, and so do I, in confusion.

"Are we in Scotland?" The Doctor asks, in a startlingly good Scottish accent.

"How can you be ignorant of that?" Scoffs the man again

"Oh, I'm... I'm dazed and confused. I've been chasing this... these wee naked children over hill and over dale. Isn't that right, ya... timorous beasties?" He asks us, still talking in a Scottish accent.

"Ooch, aye! I've been oot and aboot." Rose starts, in such a terrible Scottish accent, that I have to bit the inside of my mouth to keep from howling with laughter.

"No, don't do that." Mutter The Doctor, looking slightly horrified

"Hoots mon!" Responds Rose, and I giggle, unable to help myself.

"No, really don't. Really." Hisses The Doctor, desperately

"Will you identify yourself, sir?" the man demands

"I'm Doctor James McCrimmon. From the... Township of …Balamory. Eh... I have my credentials, if I may..." The Doctor gestures towards his pocket, and the Captain nods permission. They both lower their hands whilst he fumbles in his pocket and produces the psychic paper. He shows it to them. "…As you can see, a Doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. I trained under Doctor Bell himself."

A woman's voice from the carriage behind them speaks "Let them approach."

The man looks at us suspiciously "I don't think that's wise, ma'am." He responds

"Let them approach." She repeats.

The Doctor gestures towards the carriage, and the Captain has no choice but to let us approach.

"You will approach the carriage. And show all due deference." He says, sternly

The Doctor does an 'aye aye, Captain' sort of signal, and he, Rose, and I approach the carriage. One of the footmen opens the door to reveal a beautiful, empress-like woman, who matches my visions.

"Rose, Wolfe... might I introduce her Majesty Queen Victoria. Empress of India and Defender of the Faith."

"Rose Tyler, Ma'am. And my apologies... for being so naked." Curtsies Rose

I quickly follow suit "Wolfe, Ma'am, and please pardon my nakedness as well."

"I've had five daughters. It's nothing to me. But you, Doctor... show me these credentials." Says Queen Victoria

The Doctor obligingly hands the psychic paper over, and the Queen studies it for a moment.

"Why didn't you say so immediately? It states clearly here that you have been appointed by the Lord Provost as my Protector." She states

"Does it? Yes, it does! Good! Good! Um.. then let me ask... Why is Your Majesty travelling by road when there's a train all the way to Aberdeen?" Stutters the Doctor

"A tree on the line." She answers

"An accident?" questions the Doctor

"I am the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Everything around me tends to be planned." She replies, calmly

"An assassination attempt?" questions the Doctor

"What, seriously?" asks Rose "There's people out to kill you?"

"I'm quite used to staring down the barrel of a gun." She responds, nonchalantly.

The Captain comes over, on his horse.

"Sir Robert MacLeish lives but ten miles hence. We'll send word ahead, he'll shelter us for tonight, then we can reach Balmoral tomorrow." He reports to her Majesty.

"This Doctor and his... timorous beasties will come with us." She answers "Yes, Ma'am. We'd better get moving, it's almost nightfall." He nods

"Indeed. And there are stories of wolves in these parts. Fanciful tales intended to scare the children. But good for the blood, I think. Drive on!" She settles back inside the carriage.

Rose grins at the Doctor and we go on our way. Rose, the Doctor and I walk behind the carriage, though The Doctor is giving me a piggy back ride so I can keep up.

"It's funny though, 'cos you say "assassination" and you just think of Kennedy and stuff. Not her." Comments Rose

"1879... she's had... ooh... six attempts on her life? And I'll tell you something else: we just met Queen Victoria!" He whispers, giddily

"I know!" Replies Rose in the same attitude.

"What a laugh!" Giggle The Doctor

"She was just sitting there!" I gasp, caught up in all of the excitement

"Like a stamp." He chuckles

"I want her to say: "We are not amused". I bet you five quid I can make her say it." Rose bets

"Well, if I gambled on that, it'd be an abuse of my privileges of traveller in time." Replies the Doctor

"…Ten quid?" Rose cheekily replies

"Done." He answers, and I laugh


	9. Chapter 9

_"...Ten Quid?" Rose cheekily replies. "Done" he answers and I laugh_

We walk for maybe an hour more before the carriage and procession enter a large mansion's front yard. It's called Torchwood.

One of the footmen opens the door of the carriage and helps Queen Victoria down. Sir Robert emerges from a doorway and approaches her, the Pope I saw attack Rose is behind him. I immediately narrow my eyes and mistrust him.  
"Your Majesty." Cries Sir Robert, as he bows.

"Sir Robert. My apologies for the emergency. And how is Lady Isobel?" Politely responds the Queen

"She's... indisposed, I'm afraid. She's gone to Edinburgh for the season. And she's taken the cook with her, the kitchens are barely stocked... I wouldn't blame Your Majesty if you wanted to ride on." He suggests, and the hair on the back of my neck rises uneasily. The Doctor senses it too, and he cocks his head to one side, watching the man, recognizing that Sir Robert would rather the Queen stayed away.

"Oh, not at all! I've had quite enough carriage exercise. And this is... charming. If rustic. It's my first visit to this house. My late husband spoke of it often. The Torchwood Estate. Now, shall we go inside?" The Queen replies, cheerily

Sir Robert is evidently reluctant, but the Queen does not notice.

"And please excuse the naked girls" she adds

"Sorry." Rose and I mutter

"They're feral children. I bought them for sixpence in old London Town. It was them or the Elephant Man, so..." The Doctor chuckles. I poke him indignantly in the back of the neck.

"Thinks he's funny but I'm so not amused." Drawls Rose as she looks pointedly at Queen Victoria. "What do you think, Ma'am?"

"It hardly matters. Shall we proceed?" she dismisses Rose.

Sir Robert nods and they begin to make their way into the house.

"So close." Rose hisses to The Doctor and I

"Makerson and Ramsey, you will escort the Property. Hurry up." Orders the Captain

" Yes, sir." They reply together. One of the soldiers takes a small wooden box from the carriage and carries it carefully to the house.

"What's in there, then?" asks The Doctor, intrigued.

"Property of the Crown. You will dismiss any further thoughts, sir." Snarls The Captain.

The Doctor pulls a face to Rose.

"The rest of you go to the rear of the house. Assume your designated positions." The Captain orders the rest of the soldiers.

"You heard the orders. Positions, sir." Yells a soldier

The Doctor nods towards the house and we follow the others.

We follow everyone through the house for a while, when finally, Sir Robert enters the Observatory, followed by the Queen, Rose, the Doctor, Father Angelo, two suspicious looking household staff, and I. There is what looks like an enormous telescope in the middle of the room

"This, I take it, is the famous Endeavour?" Queen Victoria asks

"All my father's work. Built by hand in his final years. Became something of an obsession... he spent his money on this rather than caring for the house or himself." Answers Sir Robert

" I wish I'd met him, I like him. That thing's beautiful. Can I um...?" the Doctor gestures towards it.

"Help yourself." Shrugs Sir Robert

The Doctor, who has put me down, Rose and I move forward to examine the telescope and the wheel next to it.

"What did he model it on?" Asks The Doctor

"I know nothing about it. To be honest, most of us thought him a little... shall we say, eccentric." The Doctor gives a dopey laugh.

Sir Robert Continues "I wish now I'd spent more time with him. And listened to his stories." I watch as he glances at the Queen, as if trying to drop a hint.

The Doctor takes no notice, peering through it. "It's a bit rubbish."

Rose turns, grinning at him in a 'please stop now' way

"How many prisms has it got? Way too many! The magnification's gone right over the top, that's stupid kind of a... "he trials off before quietly asking Rose and I "am I being rude again?"

"Yep." We chorus

"But it's pretty! It's very... pretty." The Doctor amends quickly

Rose pats him fondly on the arm.

" And the imagination of it should be applauded." States Queen Victoria

"Mm! Thought you might disapprove, Your Majesty. Stargazing. Isn't that a bit fanciful?" Rose starts. Queen Victoria stares at her. "You could easily... not be amused, or something...? No?" Rose tries, desperately and fails.

"This device surveys the infinite work of God." The Queen states, firmly

The Doctor shakes his head at Rose with a vague smile on his face. "What could be finer? Sir Robert's father was an example to us all. A polymath. Steeped in astronomy and sciences, yet equally well versed in folklore and fairytales." She Continues

"Stars and magic. I like him more and more." Mutters The Doctor. He wanders around the telescope to examine it some more.

"Oh, my late husband enjoyed his company. Prince Albert himself was acquainted with many rural superstitions, coming as he did from Saxe Coburg."

"That's Bavaria." The Doctor hisses to Rose and I

" When Albert was told about your local wolf, he was transported." The Queen tells Sir Robert

"So, what's this wolf, then?" I ask, curious

"It's just a story." Brushes off Sir Robert

"Then tell it." Asks The Doctor

Sir Robert glances around at the Father very uncomfortably.

"It's said that..." Starts Sir Robert, when the father interrupts

"Excuse me, sir. Perhaps her Majesty's party could repair to their rooms. It's almost dark."

"Of course. Yes, of course." Mutters Sir Robert

"And then supper. And... could we find some clothes for Miss Tyler, and her young friend? I'm tired of nakedness." Sighs The Queen

"It's not amusing, is it?" Asks Rose

Queen Victoria glances around at her and decides to ignore this comment and turns back to Sir Robert. The Doctor mutters something to Rose who pokes him in the chest.

"Sir Robert, your wife must've left some clothes. See to it. We shall dine at seven. And talk some more of this wolf. After all... there is a full moon tonight." Grins The Queen

"So there is, Ma'am." Answers Sir Robert. He bows, and the Queen leaves the room followed by the others.

"Come with me, and I'll see if I can find you two some clothes." Offers Sir Robert, leading Rose and I from The Doctor down a different set of hallways.

He opens a small door. "Here you are. I hope you find something suitable." We step inside, and he shuts the door to offer us some privacy.

"Here Wolfe, lets get you some clothes first." Grins Rose, as we look around the room. Soon, we find a small, very elegant pale purple very time-period looking gown.

With some difficulty, we tug it over my head, and I gaze at myself in the mirror, with distaste.

"I look ridiculous." I pout, annoyed.

"You look fantastic." Laughs Rose "Very beautiful."

"Thank you." I smile back, halfheartedly. It is very bushy and difficult to maneuver in.

Rose goes to one of the wardrobes and opens the door, finding a brown dress which she holds up to herself in the mirror. She almost immediately puts it back. Rose holds a frilly blouse up to herself.

"No!" she groans and we laugh, before she puts it back in the wardrobe.

Rose holds a pretty blue dress up to herself and twirls around a bit.

"That one's pretty Rose!" I offer, grinning

"I think so too!" Rose places the dress down on the bed, crosses the room and opens another wardrobe door. She screams.

I rush over to see a young maid crouched inside, breathing heavily with fear.

"Oh!" Gasps Rose, collecting herself "are you alright?"

"Yes, Miss" answers the maid.

Rose offers her hand to the woman, helping her to her feet and leading her to the bed.

We sit on either side of her, calmly.

"They came through the house. The incitements, they took the Steward and the Master. And my Lady…" she trails off, shuddering

Rose squeezes her hand comfortingly.

"Listen... I've got a friend, he's called the Doctor, he'll know what to do. You've gotta come with me."

"Oh, but I can't, Miss." she responds, quickly

"What's your name?" I ask

"Flora" she answers, softly

"Flora, we'll be safe. There's more people arrived downstairs; soldiers and everything, and they can help us. I promise. Come on. Okay? Come on." Rose takes Flora's hand, all thoughts of the dress abandoned as Rose opens the door and Rose peers cautiously out. Seeing that the coast is clear, takes my hand and leads us down the corridor. Just around the corner lies one of the unconscious guards.

"Oh, Miss. I did warn you!" Flora whispers in horror.

Rose kneels and feels for a pulse.

"He's not dead... I don't think, he must be drugged or something." She says, frowning

Flora is grabbed from behind by the Father and his hand stifles a scream. Rose shoves me out of the way, into hiding in a dark corner as she is also grabbed and dragged away. One of the Monks drags the guard away.

The Father steps over his body and goes through a door into the dining room.


	10. Chapter 10

_One of the Monks drags the guard away. The Father steps over his body and goes through a door into the dining room._

I cautiously follow him, peering into the cracked door.

"Your companion begs an apology, Doctor. Her clothing has somewhat delayed her." He says, stiffly.

"Oh, that's all right. Save her a wee bit of ham." I hear the Doctor's happy voice

"The feral child could probably eat it raw." Jokes the Queen

"Very wise, Ma'am! Very witty!" laughs the Captain's voice

"Slightly witty, perhaps. I know you rarely get the chance to dine with me, Captain, but don't get too excited... I shall contain my wit in case I do you further injury." The Queen says, with dignity

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am." The Captain's meek voice apologizes.

"Besides, we're all waiting on Sir Robert! Come, Sir! You promised us a tale of nightmares." Calls The Doctor.

"Indeed. Since my husband's death, I find myself with more of a taste for supernatural fiction." Adds the queen

"You must miss him." The Doctor notes, a touch of sadness in his voice

"Very much." She answers, thoughtfully, before her voice brightens again "Oh, completely. And that's the charm of a ghost story, isn't it? Not the scares and chills, that's just for children, but the... hope of some contact with the great beyond. We all want some message from that place... it's the Creator's greatest mystery that we are allowed no such consolation. The dead stay silent. And we must wait." The Queen explains "Come! Begin your tale, Sir Robert. There's a chill in the air. The wind is howling through the eaves. Tell us of monsters!" She cries. I hurry down the hall the way the men took Rose and follow the echoes of voices until I reach a small shed in the back. I peek through a keyhole. There is a shadowy figure in a cage on one end and on the other, a mistress-looking lady and many maids are huddled, chained together, along with Rose.

"Don't make a sound. They said if we scream or shout, then he will slaughter us." Whispers the woman

"But... he's in a cage. He's a prisoner. He's the same as us." Rose's confused voice whispers back.

"He's nothing like us. That creature is not mortal." The woman hisses, and The creature raises his head slowly and opens his eyes...which are completely black. Lady Isobel and her household staff whimper, and Rose stares, scared.

Rose stands. She's going to approach the Host.

"Don't, child." Urges the woman, but Rose ignores her. She edges slowly towards the Host, chains rattling slightly. When she's as close as the chains will allow her, she kneels.  
"Who are you?" she asks, kindly

"Don't enrage him." Whispers a strong, masculine voice, most likely a guard from out of my range of vision.

"Where are you from? You're not from Earth. What planet are you from?" she questions

"Ohhh... intelligence..." the creature hisses with a voice like nails on a chalkboard.

"Where were you born?" asks Rose

"This body... ten miles away... a weakling, heartsick boy. Stolen away at night by the brethren from my cultivation. I carved out his soul and sat in his heart." The voice sounds pleased with itself.

"All right... so the body's human... but what about you? The thing inside?"

"So far from home." It mutters

"If you wanna get back home, we can help."

"Why would I leave this place? A world of industry, of workforce and warfare. I could turn it to such purpose." The beast responds,

"How would you do that?:" Questions Rose

"I would migrate to the Holy Monarch." It says, matter of factly

"You mean Queen Victoria?" gasps Rose

"With one bite, I would pass into her blood. And then it begins. The Empire of the Wolf! So many questions..." He suddenly lunges forward, making the prisoners, including Rose and I, jump and gasp.

"Look! Inside your eyes! You've seen it too!" It growls

"Seen what?" demands Rose

"The Wolf! There is something of the Wolf about you!" It answers, and I freeze.

Rose stares at him, breathing heavily.

"I don't know what you mean." Rose answers, weakly

"You burnt like the sun, but all I require is the moon." It snarls

I glance up at the sky and see the full moon rising. As I turn, I see dark shapes moving towards the main cellar doors.

Running, I duck behind a hay bale, where I am still in view of the entire cellar.

The men come closer and throw open the doors of the cellar, and the moonlight floods in, over the creature's cage. He presses his face against the bars with a blissful smile.

"Moonlight..." he snarls

The prisoners shift around uncomfortably, not knowing what to make of this. The creature sheds his cloak. A wind blows through the cellar. The creature grasps the bars of the cage.

"All of you! Stop looking at it! Flora, don't look. Listen to me. Grab hold of the chain and pull!" orders Rose as she pulls on the chain. "Come on! With me! Pull!"

There are growling sounds emitting from the cage, and Lady Isobel is just staring at it in horror.

"I said pull! Stop your whining and listen to me! All of you! And that means you, your Ladyship! Now come on, pull!" orders Rose, and I fight a strong feeling of pride.

They all stand and help Rose pull on the chain, trying to free it from the wall.

I watch in terror as the creature is slowly transforming into a wolf. He screams in pain as his skin bulges horribly. His screams turn into growls as he begins to look more and more like a wolf.

"... three... Pull!" cries Rose and they all tug on the chain, desperately trying to free themselves. The transformation is all but complete.

"One... two... three... pull!" Yells Rose again.

The werewolf's transformation is complete. It growls and flexes its claws as the prisoners scream.

"One, two, three, pull!" Rose yells again, and finally, the chain comes free.

The Doctor kicks down the other door to the cellar.

"Where the hell have you been?" demands Rose

The Doctor turns and stares at the werewolf with wide-eyed awe as it grabs hold of the bars of the cage.

"Oh, that's beautiful!" he gasps

"Get out!" cries Sir Robert

The wolf begins the bend and break the bars, throwing the cage off. The household staff are all clamoring to get out of the room. The Doctor suddenly remembers the urgency of the situation and turns back to them. "Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! " He cries, shoeing them out towards me.

"Doctor!" I cry, hurrying out of my hiding place, but all of my skirts of the dress are tripping me up.

"Come on..." Rose yells

The werewolf stands tall, free of the cage. He throws the top of it across the room, narrowly missing the Doctor who finally stops staring and makes a run for it. He slams the door behind him and locks it with his sonic screwdriver. The wolf stretches up and howls at the moon.

The Doctor scoops me awkwardly in his arms as we follow everyone into the hall of the house. The Steward hands guns to all the men.

"Arms... and your strife... ready everyone?" asks Sir Robert, before turning to his wife.

"Take the girls. Get them out through the kitchen."

Lady Isobel approaches her husband "I can't leave you. What will you do?" she begs

" I must defend her Majesty. Now, don't think of me, just go." He says "and take the young girl with you." He indicates to me

"No!" I cry, clinging to the Doctor. "I can be of some help!"

"But wolfe you would be safer-" The Doctor starts,

"I must stay with you." I beg, looking into his deep brown eyes.

"So be it." He says.

Lady Isobel kisses Sir Robert and then gathers her maids.

"All of you at my side, come on!" She pulls them through to the kitchen.

The Doctor puts me down before using the sonic screwdriver to relieve Rose of the handcuffs.

"It could be any form of light modulated species triggered by specific wavelengths. Did it say what it wanted?" He frantically asks Rose

"The Queen, the Crown, the throne... you name it." I respond to him There is a thumping sound from the direction of the cellar and we look around. The Doctor ventures out into the corridor to investigate, and I follow, peeking behind him. The wolf has managed to knock down the door and is stood at the other end of the corridor. He and the Doctor stare at one another for a few moments before the werewolf growls and the Doctor runs back into the room. He scoops me onto his back, grabs Rose's hand and pulls her behind the line of men with guns poised and ready.

"Fire!" someone cries

They shoot at the wolf, who stumbles back a few steps.

"Fire!"

I see Rose flinch as they fire again.

After a few more rounds, there is no sign of the wolf

"All right, you men, we should retreat upstairs, come with me." Orders The Doctor

"I'll not retreat. The battle's done. There's no creature on God's Earth that could survive such an assault." Responds the Steward

"I'm telling you, come upstairs!" orders The Doctor

"And I'm telling you, sir, that I will sleep well tonight with that thing's hide upon my wall." He strides across the room to look down the corridor, checking of the wolf. The Doctor watches him, looking extremely angry and concerned. Apparently seeing nothing, the steward strides back looking mildly triumphant. "Must've crawled away to die-"

He is lifted clean through the ceiling by the wolf and we hear him being devoured.


	11. Chapter 11

_He is lifted clean through the ceiling by the wolf and we hear him being devoured._

I shriek, burying my head in the Doctor's back as I hear the grotesque sounds of ripping human flesh.

"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor says as he grabs hold of Rose and pushes her from the room with him. Some of the firing squad stand frozen.

We hurry into a room. The Doctor slams the door behind us and locks it with his sonic screwdriver.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" cries Sir Robert as Queen Victoria comes down the stairs

"Sir Robert! What's happening?" She demands. The Doctor passes me over to Rose, and dashes off somewhere. "I heard such terrible noises." The Queen continues

"Your Majesty, we've got to get out. But what of the Father? Is he still here?" asks Sir Robert

"Captain Reynolds disposed of him." The Queen answers, brushing away the comment.

"The front door's no good, it's been boarded shut. Pardon me, Your Majesty, you'll have to leg it out of a window." Says the Doctor, coming back. He gestures through a door and Queen Victoria obliges with her head held high. Sir Robert, Rose and I follow and we find ourselves in another upstairs room.

"Excuse my manners, Ma'am, but I shall go first, the better to assist Her Majesty's egress." Says Sir Robert

"A noble sentiment, my Sir Walter Raleigh."

"Yeah, any chance you could hurry up?" The Doctor says impatiently

Sir Robert climbs onto the window sill and has to immediately dodge out of the way as he is shot at by the Monks standing outside. The Doctor stares out of the window, eyes wide. "I reckon the monkey boys want us to stay inside." Says the Doctor

"Do they know who I am?" Scoffs Queen Victoria

"Yeah, that's why they want ya. The wolf's lined you up for a... a biting." Answers Rose

"Now, stop this talk. There can't be an actual wolf." Dismisses the Queen The words are no sooner out of her mouth than a howling rings through the house. We spin around, alarmed, and leave the room hurriedly. We run into a hallway and the wolf is battering on the door.

"What do we do?" I ask, still clutching Rose's back

"We... run!" cries The Doctor

"Is that it?!" demands Rose

"You got any silver bullets?" the Doctor asks her, exasperated

"Not on me, no!"

"There we are then, we run." He answers "Your Majesty, as a Doctor, I recommend a vigourous jog." He jogs on the spot to demonstrate. "Good for the health. Come on!" He grabs the Queen's hand and leads her from the room. They run as fast as they can up the staircase. Rose is slower because of my weight in her back. I look over my shoulder to see the wolf start bounding up the stairs after us. I leap off Rose's back right at the moment the wolf is about to snap onto her leg, infecting her as I saw in my vision.

"No!" I scream, crashing down in front of the Wolf's open jaws as Rose stumbles forward without my added weight.

"Wolfe!" she screams, but as she's four steps above me, on the staircase, she can only watch.

I expel as much energy as I am willing at the wolf, the glare of the sun, which pulses through my being.

It howls with pain and turns tail, running off for a moment.

I groan. My nose starts to bleed heavily, and the world spins in circles. I reach up to touch my nose, my blood pouring down my face, all over my clothes and my hands.

"Rose! Hurry!" cries the Doctor, as I hear his footsteps stumble down the staircase. He catches sight of me, lying on the steps, Rose kneeling beside me, blood everywhere.

"What happened?" he demands, rushing down

"I don't now, it was going to bite her but then there was this light, then it left and now she's like this!" wails Rose.

"Wolfe? Wolfe, look at me" he says, waving his hand in front of my face. My eyes clear, but I am still too weak to do much.

"Doctor." I mutter

"Come on." He scoops me up, so my head is resting on his shoulder, blood dripping down his back. Over his shoulder I see the wolf bounding towards us.

"Wolf!" I whisper in his ear and now I know he can hear its heavy pawsteps behind us.

"Come on! Come on!" The Doctor encourages us, having reached the top of the stairs, we run through the corridors, the wolf close on our tails. Rose grabs The Queen's hand and tugs her along, with Sir Robert bringing up the rear, rushing from where The Doctor must have left them when he went to find Rose and I. The Wolf is nearly upon us, ready to pounce when Captain Reynolds appears holding a gun. He shoots and the wolf reels backwards down the corridor. The Captain ducks behind the corridor, out of breath, and we join him.

"I'll take this position and hold it. You keep moving, for God's sake! Your Majesty, I went to look for the property, it was taken. The chest was empty." Says The Captain, paying no notice to anyone but The Queen

"I have it. It's safe." Answers the Queen

"Then remove yourself, Ma'am. Doctor, you stand as Her Majesty's Protector. And you, Sir Robert, you're a traitor to the crown." The Captain says, as he cocks his gun, looking around the corner for the Wolf

"Bullets can't stop it!" cries The Doctor

"They'll buy you time. Now, run!" The Captain answers, bravely

He positions himself at the end of the corridor, gun held ready. Queen Victoria and Sir Robert have already started running in the opposite direction, followed by the Doctor, still carrying me, and finally by Rose who stares at Captain Reynolds in dismay for a few seconds. Sir Robert and Queen Victoria run into the library. Over the Doctor's shoulder I see Rose stop outside the door and watch as Captain Reynolds shoots at the werewolf as it bounds down the corridor towards him, pounces upon him and then rips him apart. Rose is frozen in horror and cannot move. The Doctor lays me down gently on a table for a moment.

"Rose." I whisper

The Doctor turns his head and catches sight of her, still in the hall.

"Rose!" He rushes out into the corridor, grabs her round the waist and pulls her into the room just in time to slam the door shut.

The wolf thuds against the doors, to no avail.

Sir Robert and Rose help the Doctor barricade the doors with chairs and bits of wood.

"Wait a minute, shh, shh, wait a minute..." says The Doctor.

The wolf howls into the silence.

"It's stopped." He says, curious

He stands on the chair and presses his ear against the door.

"It's gone." Announces The Doctor

Footsteps can be heard padding around the outside of the room.

" Listen..." Rose whispers.

The Doctor climbs quietly down from the chair and there is dead silence in the library as they follow the wolf's progress around the room, absolutely terrified. The Queen is shaking violently.

"Is this the only door?" The Doctor asks Sir Robert, urgently

"Yes. No!" He dashes to the other door with the Doctor and they barricade it shut.

"Shh!" Rose silences them.

They look around uneasily as they hear the sounds the werewolf is making, and then it stops. Footsteps pad away into the distance.

"I don't understand. What's stopping it?" asks Rose

"Something inside this room." Answers the Doctor

Sir Robert sits on one of the chairs barricading his door and puts his head in his hands.

I am feeling better, and manage to sit up, using my skirt to wipe off the drying blood on my face.

"What is it? Why can't it get in?" demands the Doctor

"I'll tell you what, though..." Rose starts, with a twinkle in her eye

"What?" asks the Doctor

"Werewolf...!" grins Rose

"I know!" He cries

Rose half laughs and they throw their arms around each other. "You all right?" asks the Doctor to her

"I'm okay, yeah!"

"You, Wolfe?" asks The Doctor, looking over at me

"Yeah." I answer, a smile spreading on my face.

Queen Victoria stares at us, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's all my fault. I should've sent you away. I tried to suggest something was wrong, I... thought you might notice. Did you think there was nothing strange about my household staff?" Sir Robert cries

"Well, they were bald, athletic... your wife's away, I just thought you were happy." Shrugs The Doctor

"I'll tell you what though, Ma'am, I bet you're not amused now." Rose says, attempting again

"Do you think this is funny?" The Queen asks her, angry

"No, Ma'am, I'm sorry." Rose answers, meekly

"What, exactly, I pray someone please, what exactly is that creature?" Cries the Queen

"You'd call it a werewolf, but technically it's a more of a lupine wavelength haemovariform." Answers the Doctor, running his hand through his hair

"And should I trust you, sir? You who change your voice so easily? What happened to your accent?" the Queen asks

For the Doctor had accidentally dropped his Scottish accent.

"Oh... right, sorry..." the Doctor quickly switched back to Scottish

"I'll not have it. No, sir, not you... not that thing... none of it. This is not my world." She cries, sternly

The Doctor doesn't argue but starts to inspect the room, running his hand along the door. The Doctor touches the woodwork. There is a carving of mistletoe on the door.

"Mistletoe... Sir Robert, did you father put that there?" The Doctor demands

"I don't know, I suppose..." answers sir Robert

"On the other door, too... a carving wouldn't be enough... I wonder..." mutters The Doctor to himself. He licks the woodwork. "Viscum album, the oil of the mistletoe, it's been worked into the wood like a varnish! How clever was your dad? I love him!" cries The Doctor, before turning back to Rose "Powerful stuff, mistletoe. Bursting with lectins and viscotoxins."

"And the wolf's allergic to it?" I ask

"Well, it thinks it is. The monkey monk monks need a way of controlling the wolf, maybe they trained it to react against certain things." He cheers.

"Nevertheless, that creature won't give up, Doctor, and we still don't possess an actual weapon." Sir Robert reminds us

"Oh, your father got all the brains, didn't he?" Scoffs The Doctor to him

"Being rude again." Chastises Rose

"Good. I meant that one." The Doctor answers, as he strides towards the bookshelves.

"You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world!" He cries as he puts his glasses on. "This room's the greatest arsenal we could have!" He pulls some books off the shelf and chucks some to Rose.

"Arm yourself." He cries

Moments later, Rose, the Doctor, Sir Robert, and I are frantically flicking through the books, talking over one another.

"Biology, zoology... there might be something on wolves in here..." mutters Rose

"Hold on, what about this?" The Doctor says as he throws a book at Rose, who catches it easily

"... some form of explosive..." Mutters Sir Robert

"Hmm, that's the sort of thing." Answers the Doctor "Ooh..."

He jumps down from the ladder, holding a book which he puts down on the table, beside me so I can see. "Look what your old dad found." He calls to Sir Robert "Something fell to Earth." On the open page there is an illustration of a rock falling to Earth from the sky. Rose Sir Robert gather around.  
"A spaceship?" questions Rose

"A shooting star." Answers the Doctor before reading the page "In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit." He pauses "That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery." He explains

"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" I ask

"Maybe just a single cell survived. Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host." Suggests The Doctor

"But why does it want the throne?" asks Sir Robert

"That's what it wants. It said so, the... the Empire of the Wolf." Answers Rose

"Imagine it... the Victorian Age accelerated... starships and missiles fueled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake..." The Doctor says, seriously

"Sir Robert!" cries Queen Victoria, and Sir Robert goes to her. "If I am to die here..." she starts

"Don't say that, your Majesty." Begs Sir Robert

"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me. But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself." Continues the queen, unbothered. She opens her bag.

"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables." Comments The Doctor

"Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this." The Queen snaps back at the Doctor

And she takes an amazing, huge diamond from her bag and holds it in the palm of her hand. It's the same diamond from my vision.


	12. Chapter 12

_And she takes an amazing, huge diamond from her bag and holds it in the palm of her hand. It's the same diamond from my vision._

"Oh, yes... the greatest diamond in the world." The Doctor, Rose, and I shuffle forward for a closer look.

"Given to me as the spoils of war. Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die." She sighs

"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough. Can I...?" The Doctor holds out his hand for the diamond. Queen Victoria gives it to him. He pushes his glasses down his nose to look at it closely. Rose prods it, eyes wide. I reach out my small hand and touch its silky smooth surface.

"That is so beautiful." Murmurs The Doctor

"How much is that worth?" Asks Rose

"They say... the wages of the entire planet for a whole week." Answers the Doctor

"Good job my Mum's not here. She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing." Snorts Rose

"And she'd win." Says The Doctor, with distaste. Rose laughs.

"Where is the wolf?" asks Sir Robert "I don't trust this silence."

"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asks the Queen, still engrossed in the diamond

'"My annual pilgrimage. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting." She answers

"Oh, but it's perfect." I gasp

"My late husband never thought so." shrugged the Queen

"Now, there's a fact, Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting." Said The Doctor as he removed his glasses

"He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished." Sighs The Queen

"Unfinished... oh, yes!" cries The Doctor with realization

He tosses the Koh-I-Noor back to Queen Victoria, who catches it.

"There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research, your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond, hold on, hold on..." the Doctor shouts, rushing about the room in angst, his hands ruffling his hair violently in his eagerness to work it out "All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if, this house, it's a trap for you, is that right, Ma'am?" He gasps

"Obviously." Responds The Queen

"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" He cries

"Explain yourself, Doctor." Cries the Queen

"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you... but for the wolf." He cries, very pleased with himself

A fine sprinkling of plaster falls from the ceiling. We all look up, and the werewolf is walking over the glass dome above our heads, looking down at us and growling.  
"That wolf there..." starts The Doctor

The glass of the dome starts to crack, the Doctor and Rose throw down their books, The Doctor grabs me, and together with Queen Victoria run to the door.

"Out! Out! Out!" Yells The Doctor as the Werewolf crashes through, smashing the desk, the Doctor, Rose and Sir Robert destroy their barricade and run out into the corridor.

"Your Majesty!" yells Sir Robert

The Doctor takes one last look at the roaring wolf before slamming the doors closed.

We run down the corridor.  
"Gotta get to the observatory!" gasps The Doctor

We careen around a corner, the werewolf close behind. Rose turns around and is transfixed by the wolf. Just as the wolf is on her.

"Rose!" I scream, as she screams and Lady Isobel comes out of nowhere and throws a pan of some liquid onto the wolf. Rose screams again, but the werewolf bounds back down the corridor away from them.

"Good shot!" Compliments The Doctor.

It was mistletoe!" Cries Lady Isobel.

The Doctor hands me to Rose and follows the wolf a way down the corridor.

"Isobel!" sir Robert cries, as he and Isobel kiss as the Doctor makes sure the wolf has gone. "Get back downstairs." says Sir Robert

"Keep yourself safe." She whispers. He nods and they kiss again.

"You go." He whispers back.

Lady Isobel and the maids go past Sir Robert and make their way back to the kitchen.

"Girls, come with me. Down the Back stairs, back to the kitchen. Quickly!" she commands

As they run off, Sir Robert stares after his wife, a look in his eyes that suggests he's wondering if he'll ever see her again.

"Come on!" urges the Doctor as he returns, and we set off at run again down the corridor.

"The observatory's this way!" calls Sir Robert

We reach the central staircase and hurry up it as fast as we can but the werewolf is recovering and soon returns to the chase. We finally arrive at the observatory, the Doctor in the lead, followed by Rose, me in Rose's arms, Queen Victoria, and Sir Robert.

"No mistletoe on these doors, your father wanted the wolf to get inside! Get inside I just need time! Is there any way of barricading this?!" The Doctor says

"Just do your work and I'll defend it." Says Sir Robert

"If we could bind them shut with rope or something!" mutters The Doctor

"I said I'd find you time, sir." States, sir Robert, firmly

Rose, Queen Victoria and I stare at him, aghast.

"Now get inside." Order Sir Robert

The Doctor looks at him for a second.

"Good man." He says, and Sir Robert closes the door and the Doctor runs to the Queen.

"Your Majesty, the diamond." He demands

"For what purpose?" the Queen demands right back

"The purpose it was designed for." He yells, grinning manically.

Queen Victoria hands over the diamond form her bag. The Doctor runs over to the mechanism for the telescope.

"Rose!" he calls, and Rose places me on the floor, in the against the wall so I can sit up, and she runs to the Doctor.

"Lift it! Come on!" he says as she and Doctor struggle to turn the wheel, but the cogs start to shift and the telescope to rise.

"Is this the right time for stargazing?" pants Rose, sarcastically

"Yes, it is." The Doctor responds, firmly

There is an echo of Sir Robert's voice "I committed treason for you. And now my wife will remember me with honour!" before screams of death come from him.

Rose looks hopelessly terrified at his final screams. Queen Victoria holds up her crucifix. The werewolf can is now battering the door. The gears continue to grind while Queen Victoria murmurs a prayer under her breath.

"You said this thing doesn't work!" Rose says

"It doesn't work as a telescope because that's not what it is! It's a light chamber! It magnifies the light rays like a weapon. We've just got to power it up!" Explains the Doctor

"But there's no electricity!" I yell at him

The Doctor grunts and turns to the light chamber.

"Moonlight! But it needs moonlight! It's made by moonlight!" Rose yells as she understands

"You're seventy percent water but you can still drown. Come on!" answers The Doctor. The Light Chamber finally starts to align with the moon. "Come on!"

At last it is properly aligned. Rose and the Doctor step away from the gears as the moonlight bounces off the prisms. Just as the Werewolf breaks through the door, the light spews forth from the end of the light chamber onto the floor far short of the werewolf.

The werewolf advances on the Queen but the Doctor dives across the floor and throws the Koh-I-Noor into the beam of light. A fantastic, prismatic beam of light hits the werewolf. He is lifted off the floor and hangs there, caught in the wash of moonlight. As we look on, the werewolf retakes human form.

"Make it brighter. Let me go." The creature whispers to us

The Doctor slowly walks across to the light chamber and flicks a switch. With a final howl from the wolf form, the creature vanishes and the light shuts off. Rose breathes a huge sigh of relief.

The Queen, however, is staring intently at some wound on her wrist. The Doctor notices her.

"Your Majesty? Did it bite you?" he demands

"No, it's... it's a cut." She says, waving away his concern

"If that thing bit you..." starts The Doctor

"It was a splinter of wood when the door came apart." She replies, firmly

"Let me see." The Doctor advances

"It is nothing." She responds, yanking her wrist from him.

The Doctor stares at her, obviously not believing her.


	13. Chapter 13

_"_ _It is nothing." She responds, yanking her wrist from him._ _The Doctor stares at her, obviously not believing her._

We all file downstairs, relieved and a bit shocked. The Queen tells a sobbing lady Isobel of the honour of her husband's death. Soon the Queen calls The Doctor, Rose and I to the courtyard of Torchwood.

The Doctor, Rose, and I step forward and kneel before Queen Victoria. Everyone is present including Lady Isobel and the maids.

"By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Sir Doctor of TARDIS." She taps him on each shoulder with a sword. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Dame Rose of the Powell Estate." She taps her on each shoulder with the sword. "By the power invested in me by the Church and the State, I dub the: Dame Wolfe of the Sun." She taps me on each shoulder with the sword. "You may stand." The Doctor, Rose, and I rise.

"Many thanks, Ma'am." The Doctor says, formally

"Thanks! They're never going to believe this back home." Grins Rose

"Thank you, your majesty" I say, politely.

Flora smiles.

"Your Majesty, you said last night about receiving a message from the great beyond; I think your husband cut that diamond to save your life. He's protecting you even now Ma'am, even from beyond the grave." The Doctor tells her

"Indeed. Then you may think on this, also: that I am not amused."

The Doctor groans whilst Rose looks jubilant.

"Yes!" Cheers Rose,

"Not remotely amused." The Queen looks at her sternly, and Rose makes an effort to wipe the smirk off her face. "And henceforth... I banish you." The Doctor and Rose look stunned.

"I'm sorry...?" Questions The Doctor, surprised.

"I rewarded you, Sir Doctor. And now you are exiled from this empire, never to return. I don't know what you are, the two of you, or where you're from, but I know that you consort with stars, and magic, and think it fun. But your world is steeped in terror and blasphemy and death and I will not allow it! You will leave these shores and you will reflect, I hope, on how you managed to stray so far from all that is good. And how much longer you will survive this... terrible life." Queen Victoria steps away from us angrily. "Now leave my world. And never return."

We stand, and leave the estate, never looking back at her.

We walk, in silence. I'm riding on the Doctor's back, until we find a kind farmer willing to take us the rest of the way back to the Tardis.

I slump over as soon as we're on it, exhausted from the chaos of the day.

"Woah!" yells the farmer and I wake as the cart stops.

We jump off the back of a farmer's cart, now back in the highlands near the TARDIS.

"Cheers, Dougal!" calls The Doctor.

The Doctor waves as they walk away and the farmer drives off.

"You know, the funny thing is, Queen Victoria did actually suffer a mutation of the blood! It's historical record haemophiliac. It used to be called the Royal Disease! But it's always been a mystery because she didn't inherit it. Her mum didn't have it her dad didn't have it, it came from nowhere!" Chuckles The Doctor

"What, and you're saying that's a wolf bite?" I demand

"Well, maybe Haemophilia is just a Victorian euphemism." He grins

"For werewolf?" gasps Rose

"Could be!" chuckles The Doctor

"Queen Victoria's a werewolf?" I double check

"Could be! And, her children had the Royal Disease. Maybe she gave them a quick nip." He shrugs

"So, the Royal Family are werewolves?" Laughs Rose

"Well... maybe not yet. I mean, a single wolf cell could take... a hundred years to mature... might be ready by... oooh... early 21st century...?" he estimates

"Nah! That's just ridiculous! Mind you... Princess Anne...!" Rose says

"I'll say no more." Smiles the Doctor

"And if you think about it... they're very private. They plan everything in advance. They, they could schedule themselves around the moon, we'd never know!" Gasps Rose

The Doctor sniggers as we reach the TARDIS and he opens the door. We bundle in.

"They like hunting! They love blood sports!" continues Rose, unable to believe what she's hearing

The Doctor laughs, and starts the settings on the Tardis.

"Oh my God, they're werewolves!" She gasps

"AWWWOOOOOOOO" howls the Doctor, loudly,

"AWOOOOOOOOOO" Rose and I howl back, laughing

After several minutes of howling, we finally stop, as we are all laughing uncontrollably.

I yawn again, still tired from the past day.

"Why don't we all take a nap?" suggests The Doctor "But first, Wolfe, we need to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine." I argue

"Having a massive nosebleed, and being very weak after being attacked by a werewolf isn't 'fine'" he argues, scooping me up and carrying me to the medical bay, regardless of my annoyance.

He sits me down on the table, and takes my blood again.

"At this rate I'll have nothing left." I moan, dramatically, looking at the blood filling the test tube.

"You'll be fine." The Doctor rolls his eyes as Rose appears, holding a banana for each of us.

"I figured you're probably hungry." She offers me one, and tosses the Doctor's to him.

"Thanks" I say, unable to peel it until the Doctor decides that he is done sucking blood out of me. "Are you done?" I ask him, annoyed.

"Yes." He removes the needs, and peels his banana. He hands it to me, switching with me.

"Thank you." I smile, biting the banana.

"How did you repel the wolf? Rose said she say a golden light." The Doctor asks

" I think its part of the Timelord/human hybrid thing. I have excess energy, which I guess is used for regeneration. I can expel it when I want to, but as you saw, it has negative effects on me, and it hurts. A lot. I try not to use it much except when I really need to." I explain

"You did it to save me." Realized Rose "The wolf would have bit me."

I shrug, not commenting. The Doctor looks sternly at me but says nothing also.

"As long as you feel fine, I think you can go to bed, but tell me if anything hurts, or feels weird okay?" The Doctor says, firmly.

"Okay." I sigh, hopping off the table, and depositing the banana peel in the trash.

"I'll tuck you in tonight." Rose says, kindly.

She takes my hand and walks me to my bedroom.

After changing me into my nightgown, I go to untangle my hair, only to find that it's a giant knotty mess.

I frown

"Here, let me brush it" Rose offers, retrieving a brush from the bathroom and sitting down on my bed, with me between her legs so she can brush my hair.

As she gently tugs at each knot, she says, "It's funny, I hardly know anything about you."

"I know. I don't really know anything about you either." I chuckle

"Alright, what's your favorite color?" she asks

"The color of the Tardis." I grin

she laughs "Mine is purple."

"My turn." I grin "What is your middle name?"

"Jaqueline after my Mum" she wrinkles her nose. "It's never been my favorite. What's yours?"

"Oh, Wolfe. My name is actually Tempest Wolfe, but I like Wolfe better." I explain.

"That's pretty." She says "When is your birthday?"

"I…I don't know." I admit, awkwardly. "I was found when I was roughly one, but no one knows when I was actually born because of the whole Timelord thing."

"I'm sorry." Offers Rose "Do you now who your parents are?"

"Yes, but they don't know me." I answer, before changing the subject "What is your favourite holiday?"

"Christmas!" she grins

"Mine too!" I laugh

She finishes brushing my hair. "You have such pretty hair." She says, as she runs her hand through it.

"Thank you. I get it from my mother." I smile, secretively.

"Let's get you in bed." She smiles. I stand and she opens the covers for me.

I climb into the cool, soft sheets and Rose tucks them in on both sides.

She kisses my forehead before she quietly leaves and I drift off to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

_I climb into the cool, soft sheets and Rose tucks them in on both sides._ _She kisses my forehead before she quietly leaves and I drift off to sleep._

 **I am standing in a large room. It's pure white and has a warm glow to it. The room is many times longer than it wide. I turn, trying to find an exit. When I turn to look back down the long hallway, there are large, black doors lining it. I walk down the hall, and open a random door, in it I see a swirling vortex. The rest of the room melts away and it's just me and the door and the vortex. Then, I fall and fall and fall and fall. When I land, I hurt my leg. I scream as I look up and see A battle going on. Every monster I ever saw in a vision fighting and one man defending them, The Doctor.**

 **"** **Doctor!" I cry, knowing he'll never make it "Doctor, stop! Come to your senses! Think of Rose! Don't leave me! Don't make me the last!" I try to hurry out to him but my leg is incredibly painful.**

 **I limp, faster and faster and faster. Then Rose shows up, and Time slows down.**

 **She walks to The Doctor and gives him a kiss.**

 **I had continued to run to them, but freeze when I watch this.**

 **Then, a Dalek screams Exterminate!**

 **"** **NO" The Doctor and I scream together, as the light catches Rose's side.**

 **"** **No!" howls The Doctor again and I run to them, the pain in my leg numb with horror.**

 **I kneel beside her as she bleeds out.**

 **"** **Stop!" I scream "Doctor! Save her!"**

 **"** **I can't!" he wails back.**

 **"** **My Doctor…I…." Rose's last breath vanishes and her eyes glass over.**

 **He stands, rage in his eyes and launches into the thick of battle.**

 **"** **NO! I can't lose you too!" I scream "DOCTOR!" Don't leave me alone! Please! Don't leave me behind! Please! Stop it! Stop it!"**

 **I watch as he trhows himself on something which explodes, killing every bad guy and himself.**

 **"** **NO! Doctor! NO! Come back! I belong with you, Doctor and Rose! I don't want to go back into testing with Torchwood! Please!" I scream**

A rough hand jerks me awake, I panic as my eyes open and I stare into the warm eyes of The Doctor. I am breathing hard, eyes wide with terror.

"It's okay. It's okay, I'm here." He whispers, his cool hand resting on my cheek, comforting me.

I gasp, as I try to slow my racing hearts. I see Rose appear over The Doctor's shoulder. I start to sob as I see them together, alive and well after the terror of the dream. The Doctor gently tugs me out of the covers and cradles me in his arms, as Rose rubs my back gently.

When I finally calm down, I whisper to them "Promise that no matter what you wont send me back? You wont let me go back to Torchwood? They…they used to do so many tests everyday just to understand me, but it felt like I was a strange animal. Do this, do that, blood taken, weight, ultrasound, everyday over and over again. Then they...they made me regenerate so they could study that and they forced me to expel the light and it hurt so much..." I shudder.

"We're never going to leave you Wolfe." Assures Rose, clasping my hand tightly in hers.

Without saying anything, The Doctor hands me over to Rose and gets under the covers of my bed.

"Come here" he says, gently, opening his arms.

I crawl back into my covers and snuggle into his arms, feeling safe.

"You too." I hear The Doctor whisper to Rose, who is sitting awkwardly on the end of the bed. She smiles as she slides into the covers, sandwiching me between them.

"See?" Whispers the Doctor "You're ours, and we'll never, ever leave you."

"Okay." I whisper back, snuggling closer into his chest while smelling Rose's vanilla shampoo.

I drift off to sleep; safe in the embrace of the two people I love most.

I wake, still safely nestled within Rose and The Doctor's bodies.

Grinning, I snuggle closer to The Doctor, my ear against his chest, listening to the thudding of his two hearts. Rose is pressed up against me, so that I am in a giant, warm cuddle.

Suddenly with a loud crash, we land.

The Doctor is up and out of bed a half second later while Rose flails about in the sheets, trying to find out what was going on.

"We're here!" Explains the Doctor as he charges out the door.

I help Rose up and we follow him, shaking sleep out of our eyes.

When we make it to the console room he is running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Where are we?" I ask

"Cardiff. I figured I'd take Rose to visit her Mum and Mr. Rickey again." Grins The Doctor

"Thank you! And it's Mickey" Laughs Rose, running over and throwing her arms around The Doctor.

He laughs back "Now go on you two and get dressed" he orders, and I take off to my room.

I change into dark jeans, a white shirt with tiny blue polka dots, a grey blazer and White converse. I brush through my hair again, and tie it into my ponytail.

When I get back to the console, The Doctor is standing there, patiently waiting by the console.

I run up to him and throw my arms around his legs.

"Thank you." I say, sincerely

"For what?" he looks down at me in surprise.

"Last night." I explain

His smile softens kindly "No problem, anytime Wolfe." He kneels down and gives me a proper hug.

"Let's get going!" grins Rose, walking in, freshly changed, in a green and yellow sweater, and jeans.

The Doctor opens the door and I walk out, grinning.

"Rose?!" shrieks a heavier, blonde woman, who is standing there expectantly.

"Uh-" I start, when she attacks me.

"What has he done to you? I told him to take care of you and he returns you a four year old?" She twists me round in her frantic hands

Unfortunately for him, The Doctor comes out of The Tardis next, and she slaps him

"Oi!" he recoils in surprise "What did I do this time?"

"Mum?" asks Rose as she appears behind The Doctor.

The woman freezes, and she starts shrieking again

"You had a child? I LEFT HER WITH YOU AND YOU KNOCKED HER UP?" The woman is hysterical as she starts furiously punching the Doctor in the chest though he stares in surprise at her, and then Rose.

"Mum! Mum, no! This is our friend Wolfe! Relax! We haven't…ever….no!" Cries Rose, grabbing her Mum's hands.

Her mum freezes, staring at Rose now "Really?"

"Yes." She answers "I promise. Mum, meet Wolfe, she's a young Timelord, like the Doctor, though she is also half human."

The woman looks down at me, eyes bright with excitement.

"Pleasure to meet you dear, I'm sorry for my reaction, it's just I hardly ever get to see my daughter…your name is Wolfe?" She smiles at me

"Yes Ms. Tyler." I answer

"Please, call me Jackie." She grins

"Alright, Jackie." I smile back at her.

"Hello, Mr. Rickey." Nods The Doctor, to a black man I just noticed was standing a little ways behind Jackie.

"Hello Doctor." He responds, and I can sense the tension coming off the two of them.

"Hello Mickey." Says Rose, cheerfully, giving him a hug.

"Hello Rose." His voice is soft with affection, but hers is friendly.

"Well come on then, let's get you a spot of tea." Grins Jackie, leading us to her home.

When we sit down, a bunch of Jamie Dodgers on our plates, and tea in our hands, Jackie is the first to speak.

"So, how long has it been since you last saw me?" she asks

"3 or 4 days?" offers Rose, after thinking a moment

Jackie's jaw drops "It's been nearly nine months for me!"

Rose turns to The Doctor, frowning "I thought we were going to come back nine _days_ later?"  
The Doctor shrugs "Sorry. Meant to come back earlier, then again, we _were_ going to go to a 1979 Rock concert in Sheffield and ended up in 1879 in Scotland fighting a werewolf. So The Tardis has time is a little off…"

Jackie and Rose both roll their eyes.

"And when did you find Wolfe?" Asks Jackie

"Right after we left you." Answers Rose "She found her way onto the Tardis and we decided to keep her." She grins at me.

"But where are her parents? How old are you Wolfe?" asks Jackie

My eyes slide to my lap, but the Doctor covers for me.

"Her parents are most likely dead. She was raised at a facility, which handles aliens. She's roughly four years old, though mentally she's much older."

"So you two are acting as her Mum and Dad?" demands the man, Rickey, or Mickey, with a hostile attitude.

Rose's eyes grow dark with annoyance. "I suppose so, but only as her guardians and friends." She answers, curtly and I smile with affection.

An awkward silence follows, and Mickey-Ricky, trying to break the silence starts again "Well, it's just as well that you showed up nine months late because I think something fishy is going on at our old school, Rose."

Rose looks up surprised "Really? What type of 'something'?"

"I don't know, but it reminds me of the type of things you and The Doctor look about for." He responds

"Well we should check it out!" grins the Doctor, eyes bright with anticipation.

"Now hold on just a minute. How are you two going to sneak into a school without being noticed?" demands Jackie

"We'll go in disguise of course." The Doctor and I say at the same time making us laugh.

"Well I wont complain since you'll be staying here a few days." Sighs Jackie. "And I _wont_ have you two staying in that Tardis of yours. All three of you'll be staying here with me."

"But Mum-" starts Rose as the Doctor looks positively alarmed

"No buts." Jackie says firmly.

Rose just sighs, looking at The Doctor and I. I know we aren't going to win this fight.

"B-but you don't have a guest room!" argues Mickey-Rickey, who just understood the fact Rose, The Doctor, and I would be sharing a room.

"So?" demands Jackie, not bothered at all.

I narrow my eyes at Mickey-Rickey. I walk over to him and climb swiftly into his lap.

"Hey Wolfe." He smiles, confused as my brown eyes meet his. I wrap my arms around his neck, my slim fingers brushing against his skin, on purpose.

I feel loneliness immediately. Then, guilt at a funeral of an old woman. Perhaps a grandparent. Then I see a beautiful blonde who I recognize as Rose, and adoration fills me. I chase after her, my affection growing steadily. Anger and jealously fills me when she vanishes with _him_. I recognize the Doctor and fury and jealously grows when she spends more time with him. Angry one night stands with her friends and enemies alike fly through my brain, as I wait for her to return with _him._ Finally, I see Rose smile at me. "I love you" I tell her, and she grins, giving me a friendly hug "bye" she responds, and my heart wrenches from my chest in ache as I see her fingers entwine with _his_ and he whisks her away for god knows how long.

I am sucked out of the vision again, and remove myself from Mickey, who is grinning at Rose and the Doctor. "I guess she likes me."

Neither of them pay him any attention, because both are staring intently at me. I know they know that I just looked at Mickey's past.

I shake my head lightly, to tell them not now.

"Well, you three should get your things. I want you to be comfortable before we go out for a spot of dinner. You can apply for jobs and the like at the school tomorrow." Directs Jackie, standing and clearing our empty plates.

Rose, The Doctor and I leave to grab our things from the Tardis, leaving Jackie and Mickey to clear up.


	15. Chapter 15

As soon as we're behind the doors of the Tardis, The Doctor and Rose stop me.

"Why'd you look at Mickey's timeline?" asks The Doctor, confused

I look up at him, blushing "I was being protective." I mutter

"Of what?" chuckles Rose, confused.

"The Doctor and you. He is so hostile I wanted to know why because I can't protect you without knowing." I answer, still looking at my untied converse lace.

I glance up long enough to see them share a look of amusement before Rose says "And what did you find?"

I look up at her "He's ferociously jealous. He's head over heels for you and is miserable that he can't give you all of the things The Doctor can." I shrug, before continuing "He hates the way The Doctor always looks out for you and the way The Doctor looks at you. He loathes the way you hold hands and never leave each other's sides. He hates the way you never stop going on about The Doctor and-"

The Doctor interrupts me.

"A few things. First" He turns to Rose "You go on about me?"

"Come off it." Snorts Rose, giving The Doctor a shove.

The Doctor laughs, before turning back to me. "Don't worry about Mr. Mickey. Now go and get your suitcase."

"I don't have-" I start, when The Doctor grins

"Check your closet." He explains and I hurry back to my room to find, as he said, a suitcase in my closet. I start to fill it with various types of clothes and many types of converse.

Then, I find a backpack buried deep in my closet. I pack that too.

"Bye, girl." I kiss the wall, and The Tardis and she purrs before I leave my room, lugging my suitcase behind me.

"Here Wolfe, let me help." Offers The Doctor appearing at the end of the hall and hurrying towards me.

"I've got it." I say,

"It's alright" he smiles, grabbing my bag and carrying it into the main console room and towards the door.

"Thank you!" I call after him as I follow him to the console. Rose appears a moment later.  
"Ready?" asks The Doctor in a way that implies he is in no way ready

I laugh, "You deal with crazy cat nuns, an army of zombie sick people, a Werewolf and Queen Victoria yet you're afraid of Rose's Mum."

Rose laughs along with me while the Doctor looks very offended "Excuse me, Wolfe but you have no idea how scary Rose's Mum can be?"

Rose and I just laugh harder while he looks all ruffled and pouty.

"It's alright Doctor." Smiles Rose walking over and giving him a hug. He immediately stops pouting and hugs her back, grinning.

"Let's go." Says Rose as she steps back, grabbing her suitcase and opening the Tardis door.

We hurry out of the Tardis and back to Jackie's house.

Upon entering, Jackie immediately leads us to Rose's room.

"I'm afraid that since Mickey's sleeping on the couch you'll just have to stay in here together." Apologizes Jackie

"It's fine Mum. Mickey, why are you living on Mum's couch?" Asks Rose

"There was a fire. Thanks for asking." Mickey dismisses.

"You three get set up, we'll go out for dinner in 20 minutes. Dress nicely!" Jackie announces, as she and Mickey leave us in the painfully pink bedroom of Rose.

"Doctor, Wolfe, each of you can take an empty drawer in my cabinet. You can leave your shoes in this corner." Rose starts, gesturing to an already shoe-filled corner. "So…I'll take the floor." continues Rose

"Why? We're both adults. Bed's plenty big and Wolfe is hardly bigger than a pillow!" Grins The Doctor, scooping me up in one arm and tossing me onto the bed in a heap, knocking Rose into the bed, before falling beside us.

Rose shrieks with laughter, and I tickle the Doctor in indignation.

He howls as I find a spot on his ribs that he particularly doesn't like.

"Wolfe!" He manages around his laughter. Rose joins in, until he grabs hold of her foot, shaking it free from its boot and starts tickling it. She becomes breathless with laughter as she wriggles away, but has nowhere to go as I pounce on her, tickling her stomach. Then both of them turn on me, tickling me all over, while I shriek.

Finally, when we're all out of breath, I lay with my head on Rose's stomach, and her legs draped across the Doctor's stomach.

"Your mum's going to kill us if we're not ready soon." Says The Doctor, but none of us want to get up.

"First one to unpack and get ready wins!" I cry, leaping up and racing to my suitcase.

The Doctor and Rose follow playfully as we race about. I unpack quickly, before having trouble selecting what to wear that's nice for dinner.

I finally find a white dress with black polka dots and a fluffy skirt. It has a black sash and spaghetti straps. I tug it on, along with black flats and a white headband. I leave my hair down for once, letting its gentle waves flow naturally. I make it to the door, dressed and done a half second before the Doctor.

"Ha!" I laugh as he pouts.

"First one to the front door?" he raises his eyebrow devilishly.

"Double or nothing?" I challenge and he grins. We rip open the door and charge down the hall, screeching like banshees. We end up slamming into Mickey, who left the living room to see what was going on. I scramble to my feet first and slam my palm on the front door, just a meter or two from where the Doctor and Mickey lay in a heap of limbs.

"Aw, Mickey you made me lose to a toddler!" pouts the Doctor, though amusement gleams in his eyes as he stands, and hurries over to me.

"I think that constitutes as cheating young lady!"

I open my mouth in outrage "Does not!"

"Does to!"

"Does not!"

"Does to!"

"Does _not!_ "

"Does _to!_ "

"Really you two?" demands Rose, laughing as she leaves the bedroom.

She's in a red dress, which comes down to about ten centimeters above her knees, with a flowy skirt and a tight bodice. It has a scoop neckline, which is very tasteful and simple. Her lipstick matches the dress and she's in black wedges.

"You look beautiful." I compliment, as The Doctor and Mickey stare at her open mouthed.

I step on the Doctor's foot, hard. He may be an alien, but he seems to have the same tactfulness of any human male.

"Ow-You look lovely Rose." Says The Doctor

Rose walks up to him, taking his hand. "Thank you."

"Everyone ready?" demands Jackie who enters in a dark blue dress.

"Yes." I chirp and we leave.

We arrive at the restaurant ten minutes later after hailing a cab.

It's a beautiful restaurant. In fact, it's the nicest place I've ever eaten in in my entire life.

We sit down on the red, velvety booths and the tablecloth is crisp and white. The bread plate a shiny cream and gold, and the drinking glass crystal.

The Doctor sits furthest in the booth, against the wall. Rose sits beside him and I sit beside her. I smile to myself as I notice the way they almost unconsciously hold hands under the table. Mickey and Jackie sit opposite us.

The waiter comes to our table before we can even say anything.

"Hello and welcome! My name is Bernard. How can I be of service to you this evening?" He grins. He is an older man, with lots of laughter lines and warm chocolate brown eyes.

"Well, I'll have a tea." Announces Jackie, and Mickey nods "Me as well."

"I'll be fine with water." Declines Rose, and The Doctor says "So will I."

"I'll have a root beer." I chirp up at him, grinning. He laughs

"And one root bear for the little lady!" he responds "I'll be back to take you orders in a minute."

Then he hurries off.

"So, Wolfe, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" asks Mickey, who still seems to think I like him, though I am not fond of his dark jealously in the slightest.

"Well, I met Rose and The Doctor about four days ago when I snuck onto the Tardis. Then I travelled with them for a bit."

"You took her on those dangerous adventures?" Demands Jackie, protectively

"Yes, but she's saved both of us a couple times. She's quite resourceful." The Doctor answers, looking affectionately down at me.

"What must her parents think?" Cries Jackie

"I'm sort of an orphan." I answer

"Sort of an orphan?" Mickey scoffs lightly

"Yes." I nod "I didn't grow up with my parents."

"But you're only four or five. That's not really growing up…" Answers Jackie

"And I am, in Timelord years, four years old." I admit

"Timelord years?" interrupts Jackie, alarmed

I nod. "I'm about twenty in human years." I explain, and Jackie moans.

"Oh dear God."

"Timelords age differently." Offers The Doctor, attempting to help my unfortunate situation. "For a Timelord's first ten years, we age one year to age five humans years. For the second ten years we age one Timelord year for every 10 human years, then for the next ten we age one Timelord year for every 15 human and so on and so forth." He explains

"Wait." Starts Rose turning to him "You're 905 years in Timelord or human years?"

"Um, Timelord." Says The Doctor

"Then you're over 4,500 human years." I realize, quickly doing the math.

Jackie is speechless.

The waiter, Bernard returns with our drinks, handing them out.

"Now what would you like to eat Ma'am?" He asks Jackie,

"Your Cumberland pie please?" she asks, handing over her menu

"And you sir?" Continues Bernard, looking at Mickey

"The Roast Beef." He answers, passing Bernard the menu

"And you ma'am?"

Rose grins "Fish and chips please."

She and The Doctor share some sort of secret, knowing smile before he says "Me too!"

I laugh, before tuning to Bernard as he says "and you, little lady?"

"I'll have the Chicken pot pie." I answer, handing Rose, the Doctor and my menus to him.

He nods, and hurries off.


	16. Chapter 16

_"I'll have the Chicken pot pie." I answer, handing Rose, the Doctor and my menus to him. He nods, and hurries off._

"So what's been happening with you?" asks Rose to Mickey and Jackie.

"Well, Mickey is still tinkering with mechanics, I work in a diner on Saturdays and Sundays, and every other weekday morning because I need something to do, and I volunteer at the local park, and have tea with my girls every afternoon at the nice little tea place down the street-Oh you and Wolfe should join us tomorrow! You can let The Doctor help mickey in the shop!"

Rose, The Doctor, Mickey and I all look horrified, though we're trying to conceal it.

"Um, Mum I think you're forgetting why we're here. We're going to be working at the school everyday, and I doubt we'll be back in time for tea…" Rose explains, desperately.

"Oh alright." Frowns Jackie, before brightening up a bit "Why don't you tell us about your trips?"

"Well, we visited this planet called New Earth…" Starts Rose, considerably brighter now, as she and the Doctor put on matching looks of joy and excitement.

I smile as I watch them, and my chest aches with love for them and the love I feel coming off of them. I smile even wider as I see Jackie's face morph into horror, and my smile slides off my face as I see the hatred glowing in Mickey's eyes.

"Mickey." I interrupt, now needing to fix this problem "Will you help me find the bathroom?"

He looks at me, almost as if he's going to say no, but everyone else is too preoccupied to notice.

He gets up and we walk down the hall. When we turn the corner into the deserted area, I stop him by taking his hand.

He looks down at me in surprise.

"Yes?"

"Don't be jealous." I start and his eyes grow hard. "Please. I know-"

"No you don't know." He snarls softly, wrenching his hand from my grasp.

My hope falls "I do know. I can tell you but I need you to promise not to tell Jackie."

He glares at me. "Fine."

"I can see someone's timeline, and feel their emotions when I touch them."

He looks at me confused, before he realizes when it was I touched him "You hugged me. Back at Jackie's…"

I nod. "I felt how you feel. I know you slept around and I know how jealous you are."

"You had no right-" he starts, furious

"I know." I whisper, hugging his knees. "Will you let me show you something? Please?"

His anger melts away and he nods

"Kneel down."

He follows my orders, and I gently touch my fingers to his forehead.

I show him the future. Just flashes, so as not to ruin the surprises. A beautiful, tough woman with black hair and deep brown eyes wraps her arms around him. A mirror image of him in a tux, ready for his wedding. Beautiful son in his arms. An old man stares at the stars with a smile, knowing that he's safe.

I step away from Mickey, who stares at me in awe.

"Wow." He whispers, "Who was that woman?"

"I don't know." I shrug "But do you know who wasn't there?"

Realization hits him "Rose."

"Rose." I nod. "She needs you now, and I think you need her, but she'll never be part of your forever. She can't be." My voice breaks slightly.

"Can you let her go?" I ask him "And be her friend, instead of her boyfriend?"

He looks solemnly at me, and replies "Yes."

I smile at him "Thank you. Now, you know you can't tell anyone anything I just showed you or what happened."

"I know." He nods

"Not even Rose."

"Not even Rose." Nods Mickey

He offers his hand and we walk back to our table. It appears that they have noticed our absence.

"Where did you two go?" asks Rose

"Bathroom." I answer

"For that long?" worries Jackie

"Long line." Answers Mickey, easily as he slides into the booth.

Not a moment later, our food arrives.

We immediately start eating.

"This is amazing." I grin, mouth full of the pie.

"Come here." Laughs Rose, Wiping the outside of my mouth with the corner of my napkin.

For the next few minutes, we're to busy eating to speak. I watch as after Rose finished her chips, she started stealing them off The Doctor's plate.

"Oi!" Exclaims The Doctor, very annoyed as her hand snakes back from his plate the third time.

"What?" Rose cheekily asks as she sticks one of the stolen chips into her mouth.

"Give me that!" He orders, reaching for the chips

"No, these are mine!"

"Are not!" He gasps, outraged

"Fine." She laughs, feeding them to him, her fingers pressing against his lips as he obnoxiously pretends to bite her finger instead of the chips.

Jackie and Mickey are speechless at their actions, Mickey looks close to laughing while Jackie looks closer to screaming. I giggle slightly, and continue eating, listening as Rose and The Doctor continue to tease each other.

"So." Jackie clears her throat, interrupting Rose and The Doctor from their teasing battle over the chips, and both turn front, slightly pink in the face.

"I was thinking that we could have dinner with some of my friends after your work tomorrow." Jackie attempts again to reunite her daughter with the rest of the world.

"Um, sure Mum." Answers Rose having given up on fighting her Mum.

We make small talk as we finish our meal.

When Bernard comes back, we order fresh fruit mini pies and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

"So what types of disguises should we wear?" Rose asks The Doctor.

"Well, I was thinking that I would be a teacher, since that makes the most sense. We could enroll Wolfe as a student, easy, and whatever work is open for you would be fine, yes?"

"Yeah." Nods Rose "What should our names be?"

"Well you'd have to be married, with Wolfe as your daughter." Interrupts Mickey

I snort back my laugh as Rose and The Doctor become flustered immediately

"It makes sense." Mickey argues again "She looks enough like you, Rose, to pass, and you'll be going and coming from the school together so it makes sense."

"I guess so." Shrugs the Doctor.

"What will your names be?" Asks Jackie

"I'll be John Smith, nice and simple." Answers The Doctor swiftly

"I'll be…" Rose thinks for a moment "Eva Smith"

"Eva. Suits you." The Doctor tries the name out on his tongue.

"What about me?" I ask "Can I be Matilda? From Matilda by Roehl Dahl?" I grin

The Doctor laughs loudly "Of course!"

"John, Eva, and Matilda Smith." Chuckles Mickey. "What a crazy bunch you are."

Then the dessert arrives.

Rose is the first to take a bite of her mini pie, followed closely by me.

Rose savors the flavor, before her eyes fly open in panic

"Doctor, no!" She cries, as the Doctor lifts his forkful of pie towards his mouth

She slaps the fork from his hand, sending the bit of pie all over the table, and the fork clattering down.  
"Rose!" Shrieks Jackie, annoyed at the undignified behavior of her daughter

"Rose?" Asks the Doctor confused.  
"Pears." Rose explains, "It has _pears_ in it Doctor."

His eyes widen and he wraps his arms around Rose "Oh, thank you!" He gasps

"Why? What's wrong with pears?" Mickey asks me

"I _hate_ pears! Do not _ever_ let me eat pears! Pears are _rubbish_!" The Doctor adamantly explains to him before I can.

"Of course you hate pears." Groans Jackie, thoroughly exasperated with The Doctor now.

"Doctor, you can have some of my ice cream if I can have your pie." I offer him, wanting more of the delicious pie.

"Deal." He nods, sliding the pie to me while I slide the ice -cream back.

We both dig into dessert again, ignoring Mickey's stifled laugh.

After a couple of silent moments of just our enjoyment of the pastries, Rose says to The Doctor "Can I have some of the ice cream?"

"Of course." He answers, offering her a spoonful and she eats it right off his spoon. "Thank you." She smiles once she has swallowed.

"Do you want more? I've finished." Offers The Doctor.

"Maybe a little…" answers Rose, as the Doctor spoon foods her again.

I smile at their oblivious attraction. I glance at Jackie, whose jaw is hanging open, speechless, as she looks at them. Then I look at Mickey who, instead of looking angry or sad, looks happy for them, and maybe a bit wistful. He turns his head to meet mine, and he smiles at me, silently. I smile back, respect and admiration for him growing.

When we get back to Jackie's, we all retire to our room, ready to be away from Jackie's loving, but constant nagging.

As Rose changes in her bathroom, I look through the books on Rose's shelf.

"Have you read any of these?" The Doctor asks from over my shoulder.

I smile "A few." I answer, indicating to certain books.

"Any of these?" He asks pointing at books with a very familiar cover.

I shake my head "I've heard about them, but I've never actually read them."

"No…" Gasps the Doctor in mock horror "Come on!"

I smile, sheepishly "I never have."

"You've never read _Harry Potter_? Any of them?" Demands The Doctor, still incredulous

"Nope." I giggle

"Rose!" Calls The Doctor, and she walks out of the bathroom, in her pajamas, a toothbrush in her hand.  
"What is the matter Doctor?" she demands, half amused and half exasperated

"Wolfe has never read _Harry Potter_!" Explains The Doctor

Rose laughs "That's what you're panicking over?"

"Yes!" Answers the Doctor, genuinely

Rose laughs again "I have an idea. How about we read them together. I loved them and I don't doubt that you would mind reading them again so why not? Let me finish brushing my teeth and I'll read tonight, okay?"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Grins The Doctor, grabbing one of the books off the shelf.

"I know." Responds Rose, rolling her eyes and returning the bathroom. The Doctor hops in bed and gets comfortable and I climb into the bed and snuggle next to him. Rose climbs in on my other side.

The Doctor hands her the book and Rose begins to read it.

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling." She begins "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…"

I snuggle deeper between them as she continues reading. The Doctor is completely enthralled. I smile softly as I listen to the story, which is quite good actually, before I slowly begin to doze off.


	17. Chapter 17

_The Doctor is completely enthralled. I smile softly as I listen to the story, which is quite good actually, before I slowly begin to doze off._

"One of you needs to wake up before Jackie comes in here or she's going to explode." I hear a voice announce.

I groan as I wiggle amongst a very warm kingdom of soft blonde hair, limbs everywhere, and sheets. I finally manage to pop my head, arms and chest out of Rose, The Doctor and my tangled bodies, my hair everywhere.

"Mickey?" I ask as I recognize his figure in the doorway.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." He chuckles "Jackie will be up any minute and I don't think she'll be pleased to see you all shared the bed." He smirks

My face drops as I realize he is very right, and I quickly clamor out of the bed. "You try and delay her, I'll handle this." I answer, and he nods, leaving the doorway.

I poke The Doctor in the ribs

"Mmm." He grunts.

"Up, now." I order and he just mumbles something under his breath. I roll my eyes as I lean down and in my best impression of Jackie, hiss in his ear "Get your rear out of bed and away from my daughter you alien or I'll slap you so hard you wont be able to walk back to your precious Tardis!"

The Doctor's eyes fly open, and he leaps out of the bed. He ends up taking Rose with him, because they're both so entangled in the covers and they end up in a heap on the floor.

I fight a giggle as Rose tries to wriggle out from underneath The Doctor, who at the same time is scrambling to get off of Rose.

When they finally stand, with their last scraps of dignity The Doctor says, "Where's Jackie?"

"You wouldn't get up." I explain and he glares at me.

I shrug, smiling cheekily. "Sorry."

His anger melts and he just shakes his head at me.

Rose looks at me "What exactly did you do?"

"I just said something she would have said and he got up." I answer, grinning

Rose chuckles and says "Poor Doctor, scared of my Mum."

"I am no-" Starts The Doctor, but Rose interrupts

"We ought to clean up in here and get dressed. We have to get to the school by 7:30 and its nearly 6:30."

I nod. "I'll get dressed in the closet"

I hurry to the closet, shutting the door behind me and digging through my suitcase for clothing.

"Wolfe?" calls Rose, through the door.

"Yes?" I answer

"Here's my old uniform you'll probably want to wear it to the school. It should fit alright." She opens the door a little bit and hands me the folded uniform. I wrinkle my nose looking at it. It is a thick, grey sweater with the insignia on it, a white collared shirt and a tie with the school colors, red and blue. The skirt matches the tie, in a red and blue plaid. It's quite hideous, actually.

I tug on the uniform and put my hair up. I leave the closet to find Rose already dressed in jeans and a simple red shirt. The Doctor is in the same suit as ever. The bed is remade and he looks like he's holding back laughter as he looks at me.

"Ready, Matilda?" He drawls, still stifling laughter at my horrendous uniform.

"Of course, Dad." I drawl right back, jokingly, but something in my heart rips apart. It's the first time I have ever called him by the name I should- Dad. My throat closes up slightly at this thought. For a fleeting second I feel like I should tell him, but I shake myself, ignoring the feeling, because I know that telling them will so more harm than good. I continue speaking. "We better get going. We can grab breakfast on the way."

"Good idea." Smiles Rose, and we hurry from the room.

"Rose can you wait a moment? I wanted to talk to you about that dinner" Jackie appears out of the kitchen as we head towards the front door.

"Mum, we're kind of in a rush..." Rose answers as we continue moving towards the front door.

"But Rose-" Jackie tries again, when Mickey interrupts

"By the way guys, I called ahead and they are expecting your interviews. Apparently they are short staffed so they are really looking forward to meeting with you." Mickey explains to us

"Thank you Mickey!" Calls Rose.

His announcement and her response give us just enough time to escape to the car.

Rose climbs into the driver's seat, The Doctor in the passenger, and I climb into the back.

We hurry off before Jackie gets it into her head to follow us out here.

After finding an adorable little coffee shop, we stop to grab a couple of scones for breakfast. We arrive at the school ten minutes later.

"Oh, Rose, here." The Doctor says handing her an engagement ring and a wedding band.

"Thank you." Blushes Rose, as she slides the engagement ring and wedding band onto her finger. The Doctor slides his matching wedding band onto his hand.

We walk up the steps to the school.

"It's funny, I never thought I would be walking up these steps again." Rose giggles, "I used to go to school here, you know."

"Really?" I as as The Doctor holds the door open for Rose and me.

"Yeah." She smiles as we wander into the empty hall.

"You must be the Smiths?" a delicate young woman asks as she walks over to us

"Yes Ma'am. John Smith, my wife Eva, and our daughter Matilda." The Doctor introduces us each in turn.

We shake hands with the woman.

"Pleasure. Now please follow me."

We follow her down the clean hallways until we arrive at the principal's office.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you will meet in here in a moment, would you mind if I took your daughter to the proper classroom for her interview?"

"Of course." answers The Doctor, before kneeling down and embracing me. In my ear he whispers "Be safe and keep your eyes open."

Then he stands, placing a kiss on the top of my head "Have fun, baby girl."

"I will Daddy!" I answer, my heart aching again as I wish desperately he could know who I am.

"Bye Mummy." I give Rose a hug and she kisses me on the top of the head.

"Have fun dear!" Rose smiles at me.

I turn and walk away with the woman as I hear the principal's door open and hear a man's voice welcome The Doctor and Rose.

We reach a classroom about five doors down and I enter, confidant. I man with cold brown eyes smiles at me. His smile makes me feel vulnerable.

"Hello, Matilda, I am Mr. Minor. Please take a seat." He pulls out a chair for me and I sit.  
"We're just going to ask you a few questions to see if you can keep up with the curriculum here." He explains and I nod

"What is the square root of 14,641?" He smoothly asks

"121." I answer a second later.

His grin becomes more impressed than creepy. "What is Radioactivity?"

"Radioactivity involves the spontaneous decomposition of an unstable atomic nucleus into a more stable form, in one of three decays: alpha, beta, gamma. The nucleus becomes more stable by releasing excess energy either in the form of particles (alpha and beta) or as a wave." I answer, hardly thinking about the answer.

He is now grinning full force. "Which is weaker, the electromagnetism of a human or the earth's gravity?"

"The electromagnetism of a human." I answer, just as quick as last time.

He smiles and says " I think you will do very well here. Your first day is tomorrow. I see you already have the uniform. Have a good rest of the day. I will see you in Classroom C at 8:00 tomorrow morning!" He shakes my hand and sends me on my way. I walk back to the principal's office, but they haven't finished yet. I hear the muffled voices as they talk.

I sit outside the door, and look around the empty hall. I don't wait long before the door opens.

"Thank you so much for stopping by, Mr. Smith, and you as well, Mrs. Smith. We look forward to seeing you bright and early tomorrow!" The principal says, before he shuts the door.

I hurry to my feet. "How'd it go?" I ask, excited

"A bloody lunch lady!" snarls Rose, annoyed and exasperated. "I was hired as a bloody _lunch lady_!"

I fight back a giggle "It's only for a little while." I offer, trying to help her mood.

The Doctor shares a sideways glance of amusement with me. "What about Matilda?"

"I got in. He asked me a couple of easy questions about math and science and then after I answered them correctly he said he'd see me tomorrow. What about you?"

"Physics teacher. Should be pretty fun, actually." He grins. " Apparently they're short staffed so I'll be starting tomorrow."

"Sounds like fun." I say as we get in the car.

"Rose? Can we not go back to your Mum's? I'd prefer it if we could avoid dealing with your Mum's friends…" The Doctor says, cautious

"We're in agreement there!" Rose snorts, having dropped the subject of her unwanted job "How about we let Wolfe pick?" She offers. She looks at me in the rearview mirror "Well? Where do you want to go? It's a beautiful out and we have the whole day!"

"Um, I don't know. I've never been anywhere outside of Torchwood before I snuck out, and almost immediately I found you so..." I shrug

"How about we take you all over London? We'll give you a tour!" Suggests Rose, eyes bright with excitement.

"Can we do that? Don't we need tickets?" I ask, concerned, but giddy with excitement.

"Well what do you think this is for?" demands the Doctor, laughing as he holds up his psychic paper.

I laugh and say, "Then I'd love to. Where should we go first?"

"We'll work our way around! It's only 8:00 after all and we have about twelve hours before we need to be back home!" Grins The Doctor "Rose, what do you think would be the best places to take Wolfe?"

"Definitely The Eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace…" Starts Rose

"How about Westminster Abbey, The London Bridge, Tower of London…" Continues the Doctor

They're laughing hysterically and I grin at them.

"Where to first?" He asks, twisting around to look at me.

"Let's go to the London Bridge!" I grin

"London Bridge it is!" He crows

The day is filled with various sightseeing tours, many new foods, and laughter and running about. Darkness has just begun to settle when we make it to the London Eye. I smile as we walk into the glass and metal cage. Since it's so late, and it'll be closing soon, no one is in it with us. I look around in awe as we move up, slowly but steadily. I rush about as I see the last streaks of the sunset over the buildings of London, setting them ablaze.

I turn my head, opening my mouth to say how beautiful it is when I see Rose and The Doctor having a sweet moment on the other side of the glass.

She has her head on his shoulder, her arm lazily wrapped around his waist, and his arm is wrapped around her shoulders. He is whispering into her ear. In the reflection I can see her grinning. They are rocking ever so slightly. The shifting of their movement under the glare of the setting sun glints off something on their hands. I suddenly realise neither have taken off their fake wedding rings. I withhold a giggle of pleasure.

We've made it to the full height of the eye, and London is alight with the sun in all directions. The Doctor's eyes blaze with it and Rose's hair dances under its glow. Everything is a warm gold and my heart flutters with its beauty.

"It's beautiful" breathes Rose in no more than a sigh.

"Mmm" Whispers The Doctor back, and I see how he's looking at her. His eyes say so strongly that the sunset isn't the only thing he thinks is beautiful.

By now, I am ready to snuggle into a hug. I press around the Doctor and hug his knees. He bends down, scooping me into his arms, and propping me up on the hip opposite Rose. I lay my head on his shoulder, tucked under his neck. I had not realized until now just how tired I was.

"Did you have fun Wolfe?" Ask Rose, softly, as if she doesn't want to break the beauty of the moment.

"Yes." I whisper back "Especially when The Doctor had that poor guard nearly wetting his pants with the jokes he was telling outside the palace. The poor man didn't know what hit him!" I giggle, and the Doctor and Rose chuckle along with me.

"My favorite part was seeing the zoo. I've always been amazed by the animals of earth." Grins The Doctor. "What about you Rose?"

"Right now." She answers, snuggling closer to The Doctor.

The Doctor removes one arm from around me and wraps it back around Rose so as we descend we're all cuddled together as the first stars come out.

I fall asleep before we get off, lulled to sleep by the Doctor's twin hearts beating, and his musty smell.

I wake slightly when The Doctor puts me in my bed. I flutter my eyes as Rose and The Doctor cuddle close around me and we all fall asleep.

"Love you." I manage, before I drift off, but just before I do, I hear twin whispers back

"Love you too."


	18. Chapter 18

_"_ _Love you." I manage, before I drift off, but just before I do, I hear twin whispers back_ _"Love you too."_

The next day we're up and out of the house by 7:00 am.

I stand in the hallway as it fills with students, all in matching uniforms and me and each in their own cliques. I keep trying to talk to people and maybe make friends, but them give me nasty looks and shut me out.

The school bell rings and I try to make my way to class but the stairways are crowded with children hurrying to get to their lesson. I make it to my physics class and sit down on a lab bench next to this painfully scrawny little boy.

The door opens and a familiar pair of scruffy white Converses step inside. The Doctor plunks his bag down on the teacher's desk and faces the class.

"Good morning, class. Are we sitting comfortably?" He grins.

The Doctor scrawls the word 'physics' in capital letters on the whiteboard and underlines it.

"So. Physics."

He replaces the cap of the board pen and chucks it back down on the desk. "Physics. Eh? Physics. Phyyyyyyyysics. Physics! Physics. Physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics." The class look bemused, I hide a smile. He sniffs purposefully.

"I hope one of you is getting all this down. Um, okay, let's see what you know. Two identical strips of nylon are charged with static electricity and hung from a string so they can swing freely. What would happen if they were brought near each other?" I bite the inside of my mouth. The Doctor warned me just this morning not to attract attention, and be as quiet as possible, even though this question is easy. The boy, sitting next to me, puts up his hand.

'Yes, uh, what's your name?" says The Doctor

"Milo."

"Milo! Off you go." Grins The Doctor

"They'd repel each other because they have the same charge."

"Correctamundo! A word I have never used before and hopefully never will again." He looks disgusted with himself and I pretend to stifle a yawn to hide my giggle. "Question two, I coil up a thin piece of micro wire and place it in a glass of water. Then I turn on the electricity and measure to see if the water's temperature is affected. My question is this: how do I measure the electrical power going into the coil?" Milo's hand shoots up again, and again I resist the urge to answer.

"Someone else." Begs The Doctor, he shakes his head almost imperceptibly at me when I start to raise my hand. I lower it again.

Absolutely no response from the rest of the class.

"No...? Okay, Milo, go for it." Nod The Doctor

"Measure the current and PDs in an ampmeter and a voltmeter." Milo asnwers, again correctly.

The other pupils look impressed.

"Two to Milo! Right then, Milo, tell me this; true or false: the greater the dampening of the system, the quicker it loses energy to its surroundings."

"False." Answers Milo

"What is a non-coding DNA?"

"DNA that doesn't code for a protein." Responds Milo

"Sixty-five-thousand-nine-hundred-and-eighty-three times five?"

"Three-hundred-and-twenty-nine-thousand-nine-hundred-and-fifteen." Answers Milo. I stare at him in surprise, impressed he's almost as intelligent as I am. Some of the other pupils look very impressed too, others just disturbed.

"How do you travel faster than light?"

"By opening a quantum tunnel with an FTL factor of 36.7 recurring."

The Doctor's mouth drops open slightly.

The rest of class continues similarly much to my annoyance. I want, desperately to answer all of those questions, yet he never gives me a chance. Finally, class ends and its lunchtime. After dropping my books off at my locker, I walk into the overcrowded room. I get on line where

the dinner ladies are spooning food onto people's plates. Two people ahead, I can as see Doctor moves along the line with his tray. Rose, who is undercover as a dinner lady, spoons mashed potato onto his plate and gives him a filthy look, simultaneously. He just smirks at her and heads towards the tables. I try a half smile at Rose as she spoons mashed potato onto my plate. She offers me an annoyed half smile back. I sit at a table, by myself, nearby the Doctor. No one wants me to sit with them anyway. I watch in amusement as I eat my meal as the Doctor spears a chip on his fork, nibbles it, and stares at it distastefully. Soon, Rose comes over with a dishcloth to wipe his table down.

"Sorry, could you just... there's a bit of gravy." The Doctor tells her, semi apologetically. He points to it with his fork. Rose wipes the table.

"No, no, just there." He indicates with his fork again. Rose is furious, but wipes up the gravy.

"I hate it here." She growls to him

"Blame your boyfriend, he's the one who put us onto this. And he was right. Boy in class this morning, got a knowledge way beyond planet Earth." The Doctor responds. My eyes narrow at him called Mickey Rose's boyfriend.

"You eating those chips?" She asks, nodding to The Doctors full cup of chips

"Yeah, they're a bit... different." He looks at them in distain.

Rose helps herself to one.

"I think they're gorgeous. Wish I had school dinners like this." She sits down beside him and grabs another chip.

The Doctor looks around the room "It's very well behaved, this place." "Mm." Rose answers, mouth full of chips.

"I thought there'd be happy-slapping hoodies. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs. Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones." He stares at Rose impressively. "Yeah? Yeah? Oh, yeah! Don't tell me I don't fit in." He grins and I bury my face in my hands to keep from laughing aloud. As I do I catch Rose's distainful but amused face. A dinner lady approaches their table.

"You are not permitted to leave your station." The lady scolds Rose

"I was just talking to this teacher." Rose explains as she stands.

"Hello!" grins the Doctor

"He doesn't like the chips." Explains Rose

"The menu has been specifically designed by the headmaster to improve concentration and performance. Now, get back to work." The clearly affronted lady huffs and leaves the table.

Rose starts to walk away from the table, walking past mine.

"See? This is me." She gestures down at her uniform to me. "The dinner lady!"

"I'll have the crumble." The Doctor calls to her

"I'm so gonna kill you." She growls, only loud enough for the Doctor and I to hear. She returns to her station, the Doctor grinning manically. I watch as a teacher, Mr Wagner, approaches a girl sitting a few tables away. "Melissa. You'll be joining my class for the next period. Milo's failed me... so it's time we moved you up to the top class." The Doctor watches, chewing absently.

"Kenny? Not eating the chips?" The teacher scolds an overweight young boy the next table over from the girls.

"I'm not allowed." Kenny Mumbles

"Luke, extra class. Now." Mr. Wagner commands. He leaves, and several of the children follow him. I watch them leave in confusion. Looking around, I see the Doctor focused on something above us. Looking up I see Mr. Finch watching the proceedings from a balcony above the room. He seems to notice the Doctor watching him, and turns away, disappearing down the hall.

Suddenly I am swirling in another vision. I am standing outside the school in the parking lot and I watch as the building explodes. Time slows and I look over and scream as I see a huge piece of metal hurdling towards Rose and Mickey, celebrating. "No!" I scream, but it is too late. It slams into rose, knocking her to the ground, crimson blood pouring out of her impaled head.

"Matilda?" A voice breaks me out of my daze. I look up to see Rose standing there

"Yes?" I say

"You need to go to class the bell's rung." She explains, and I get up and run as fast as I can.

Later, during one of my free periods, I volunteered to help in the kitchen so Rose could have some company. Now she and I are drying an endless number of chip trays.

"Careful... keep it steady... don't spill a drop." Warns the dinner lady who scolded Rose earlier. A few of the dinner ladies are very, very carefully wheeling in a barrel of oil. They have masks, goggles and gloves on. Rose and I watch them.

"I said keep it steady. Careful... that's it... easy now... steady..." the woman continues. Rose's mobile rings.

"Right, second barrel, quickly now!" The woman orders

Rose answers her phone. It's Mickey

"What you got?" I hear his muffled answer,

"Confirmation. I just got into army records. Three months ago, massive UFO activity. They logged over forty sightings, lights in the sky, all of that. I can't get any photos, 'cause then it gets all classified and secret. Keeps locking me out."

"Tell you what, though, three months ago, turns out all the kitchen staff were replaced." Rose answers, voice low. She glances over at the women, who are wheeling in another barrel of oil into the kitchen with what seems to be unnecessary caution "And this lot are weird." She finishes

"See, there's definitely something going on. I was right to call you home." Mickey responds

"I thought maybe you called me home just to... well, just to call me home." Answers Rose

"Do you think I'd just invent an emergency?" Laughs Mickey

"Well, you could've done!" laughs Rose

"That's the last thing I'd do." Snorts Mickey

"Watch it!" cries a kitchen lady

"Because every time I see you, an emergency just gets in the way..." laughs Mickey

Rose and I look over as a loud crash echoes through the room. The barrel of oil topples over and spills onto one of the dinner ladies, who screams in agony and starts smoking.

"I've gotta go." Rose says and she hangs up.

The head dinner lady starts yelling "Get her up, get her up!" The dinner lady is hoisted to her feet. The dinner lady covered in the oil is steered into an office, still wailing with pain. We follow, carefully behind. Rose tries to see through the partition but the blinds are swiftly drawn.

We return to the kitchen and Rose dials 999 as the head dinner lady emerges from the office. She pulls her goggles down and leans against the doorframe, eyeing Rose suspiciously.

"What're you doing?"

"Calling an ambulance." Answers Rose

"No need. She's quite all right." Snarls the dinner lady. Rose hangs up. There is the sound of something bursting into flames, followed by the sound of something smashing, and a billow of smoke from the office. The dinner lady does not flinch.  
"It's fine. She does that." Shrugs the dinner lady.

She goes back into the office, leaving Rose and I looking completely confused. She moves closer to the barrel of oil for a closer look.

"Wolfe, you should go find the Doctor and tell him what's going on" she whispers to me. I nod and hurry to the staff room where I know he will be.

When I enter, the Doctor is sitting on a desk, nibbling a biscuit. There is a teacher pacing up and down in front of him.

"But yesterday, I had a twelve-year-old girl give me the exact height of the Walls of Troy... in cubits." He frets

"And, it's ever since the new headmaster arrived?" questions the Doctor. "Finch arrived three months ago. Next day, half the staff got flu. Finch replaced them with that lot." He nods over to where a group of smart looking teachers are standing. The Doctor looks over his shoulder at them. "Except for the teacher you replaced, and that was just plain weird, her winning the lottery like that."

"How's that weird?" The Doctor asks.

"She never played! Said the ticket was posted through her door at midnight." The Doctor humms thoughtfully to himself as he pops another biscuit into his mouth "The world is very strange." He announces when he swallows. I walk over, about to speak to him, when Mr. Finch enters. I duck behind a small cabinet.

"Excuse me, colleagues, a moment of your time." He says, importantly The Doctor turns. His eyes widen and he stands, just staring.

"May I introduce Miss Sarah Jane Smith. Miss Smith is a journalist, who's writing a profile about me for the Sunday Times." He puffs his chest out with pride. Sarah Jane smiles around at them all. The Doctor's face is a picture, the corners of his mouth begin to turn upwards in a smile.

"I thought it might be useful for her to get 'a view from the trenches', so to speak. Don't spare my blushes." He announces and then leaves. Sarah Jane catches the Doctor's eye and approaches him.

"Hello!"

"Oh, I should think so!" Grins the Doctor, manically

"And, you are...?" She stares at him blankly

The Doctor can't take his eyes off her and a protective jealously fills my stomach, for Rose.  
"Hm? Uh, Smith. John Smith." He stutters

"John Smith? I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name." Sara Jane answered, in a distant way

"Well, it's a very common name!" Answers the Doctor

"He was a very uncommon man." She mumbles, reminiscing

She holds out her hand.

"Nice to meet you!" she grins at him,

The Doctor shakes "Nice to meet you! Yes! Very nice! More than nice, brilliant!" he grins

"Um... so, um, have you worked here long?" she asks

"No! Um, it's only my first day."

"Oh, you're new, then?" Sarah Jane asks "So, what do you think of the school? I mean, this new curriculum?" The Doctor can still not tear his eyes away from her, and he's smiling at her but she doesn't seem to notice. "So many children getting ill, doesn't that strike you as odd?" She continues

"You don't sound like someone just doing a profile" he smirks at her

"Well, no harm in a little investigation while I'm here." She smirks back

"No. Good for you." he says. She walks away to meet some of the other teachers.

I hear the Doctor mutter, proudly "Good for you. Oh, good for you, Sarah Jane Smith."

The bell rings. I groan, and hurry away to get to class on time. I'll have to tell the Doctor later. The corridors are crowded with students once more. I watch as The Doctor takes slow steps with a vague smile and a faraway expression on his face, just remembering


	19. Chapter 19

_I watch as The Doctor takes slow steps with a vague smile and a faraway expression on his face, just remembering_

The school day ends and later, when darkness falls, Mickey, the Doctor, Rose and I all sneak in through a fire door.

"Oh, it's weird seeing school at night. It just feels wrong." Rose whispers and we make our way cautiously down the corridor. "When I was a kid, I used to think all the teachers slept in school." She continues

"All right, team." Starts the Doctor "Oh, I hate people who say "team". Um... "gang". Um... "comrades". Uh... anyway, Rose, go to the kitchen and get a sample of that oil. Mickey, the new staff are all Math teachers, go and check out the Math department. I'm gonna look in Finch's office. Be back here in ten minutes."

"What about me?" I ask, and he glances down at me, his eyebrow furrowed. "You'll come with me." He answers.

"You gonna be all right?" Rose awkwardly asks Mickey.

"Me? Please. Infiltration and investigation? I'm an expert at this."

He strides away with purpose. Rose just stands there smirking, waiting for him to come back, which he does almost immediately. "Where's the Math department?" he sheepishly asks

"Down there, turn left, through the fire doors, on the right." Rose says pointing in the opposite direction Mickey went earlier.

"Thank you." He strides away again. The Doctor and I head up the stairs and down a dark corridor. His brow furrowed as he hears screeches and flaps in the distance. He pauses for a moment and then strides to find the source of the noise. We freeze as we pass a closet door, where we parked the Tardis earlier. To my surprise, it's Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane stares at the closed door, and then turns slowly around. The Doctor and I are standing there, in the darkness, watching her.

"Hello, Sarah Jane." The Doctor whispers, quietly

"It's you." Sarah Jane whispers, to my shock. "Oh... Doctor..." A smile starts to spread across her face as she edges towards him "Oh, my God, it's you, it's... it's... you've regenerated." She grins

"Half a dozen times since we last met." He smiles ruefully as I watch this reunion with my mouth open in shock. I now understand. Sarah Jane was an old companion of his.

"You look... incredible." She gasps

"So do you." He smiles

"I got old." She edges around him, staring at him. She has eyes only for him, so she hasn't noticed me yet. "What're you doing here?"

"Well... UFO sightings, school gets record results, I couldn't resist. What about you?" he responds

"Same." They laugh. Sarah Jane's smile falters and she sounds close to tears when she speaks again. "I thought you'd died. I waited for you and you didn't come back, and I thought you must've died."

"I lived. Everyone else died." The Doctor's voice broke

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone died, Sarah." He whispers, brokenly as Sarah Jane shakes her head. I reach up and hold his hand, trying to comfort him.

He smiles down at me. Sarah jumps when she notices me.

"Is this your new companion? She's so young!" gasps Sarah Jane.

"She's an orphan Sarah, but she's a little time lady. She travels with me because she has no where else to go." He explains.

"And you love me." I pout at him

They laugh. "And I love you." He echoes.

Sarah Jane's smile fades again "I can't believe it's you." She tells him

The moment is broken by the sound of Mickey wailing. "Okay! Now I can!" They grin and we run to find the source of the scream. We almost skid into Rose who runs from a converging corridor.

"Did you hear that?" demands Rose, scooping me up and onto her back. She notices Sarah Jane. "Who's she?" demands Rose

"Rose, Sarah Jane! Sarah Jane, Rose." The Doctor says

Rose looks unpleasantly surprised. They shake hands.

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Sarah Jane says, with a tight, false smile.  
"You can tell you're getting older, your assistants are getting younger." She smirks at the Doctor.

"I'm not his assistant." Cries an outraged Rose.

The Doctor scratches his ear uncomfortably, and I giggle.

"No? I get you, tiger." Sarah Jane smirks.

The Doctor speeds off and we follow him. We find Mickey in one of the class rooms, surrounded by a load of vacuum-packed rats.

"Sorry! Sorry, it was only me. You told me to investigate, so I, I started looking through some of these cupboards and all of these fell out of them." Mickey grins, sheepishly

The Doctor bends down and picks a few up to examine them.

"Oh, my God, they're rats. Dozens of rats. Vacuum packed rats." Rose cries

"And you decided to scream." The Doctor deadpans at Mickey

"It took me by surprise!" Mickey defends, weakly

"Like a little girl?" Continues the Doctor

"It was dark! I was covered in rats!" Mickey replies, indignant

"Nine, maybe ten years old. I'm seeing pigtails, frilly skirt." I stifle a giggle in Rose's hair as Mickey opens his mouth in outrage.

"Hello, can we focus? Does anyone notice anything strange about this? Rats in school?" Demands Rose

"Well, obviously they use them in Biology lessons. They dissect them. Or maybe you haven't reached that bit yet. How old are you?" Sarah Jane smirks at Rose

The Doctor and Mickey look shiftily between them.

"Excuse me, no one dissects rats in school anymore. They haven't done that for years. Where are you from, the dark ages?" Rose snaps back at Sarah Jane.

"Anyway," the Doctor interjects, nervously, "moving on."

Sarah Jane obviously badly wants to make a cutting retort. She and Rose give each other the dirtiest of looks. "Everything started when Mr Finch arrived. We should go and check his office. He chucks the rat he is holding back to Mickey, who drops it. We follow the Doctor out and down the corridor. Rose puts me down so I can walk on my own.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you?" Rose hisses to Sarah Jane

"Sarah Jane Smith. I used to travel with the Doctor." Answers Sarah Jane in a clipped manner

"Oh! Well, he's never mentioned you." Shrugs Rose.

"Oh, I must've done!" the Doctor cries, overhearing them "Sarah Jane! Mention her all the time."

Rose pretends to think for a second "Hold on... sorry... never."

"What, not even once?" Sarah asks, annoyed "He didn't mention me once?" Rose walks off and Sarah Jane follows her, probably to probe her further. Mickey grins, with a hand on the Doctor's shoulder "Ho ho! Mate! The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare." He grins and we follow the two of them. The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to unlock the door of Mr Finch's office.

"Maybe those rats were food." I suggest

"Food for what?" demands Rose

The Doctor opens the door and peers inside. There are some incredibly strange noises coming from there. The Doctor's eyes are fixed on the ceiling.

"Rose... you know you used to think all the teachers slept in the school...? Well... they do." The bat-like creatures are hanging upside down from the ceiling. We stare at them.

"No way!" Mickey whimpers, turning heel and leaving. Sarah Jane, Rose, and I quickly follow him. The Doctor goes last, shutting the door behind him. At the sound of the door shutting, one of the bats wakes up and screeches. We take off through the school and then hurry out of the front doors of the school.

"I am not going back in there. No way." Pants Mickey

"Those were teachers!" cries Rose

"When Finch arrived, he brought with him seven new teachers, four dinner ladies and a nurse. Thirteen. Thirteen big bat people. Come on." He begins to walk back inside.

"Come on, you've got to be kidding!" gasps Mickey

"I need the Tardis. I've got to analyze that oil from the kitchen."

"I might be able to help you, there. I've got something to show you!" Sarah Jane smiles, as she grabs the Doctor's arm and pulls him excitedly in the direction of the car park. We follow, Rose with a particularly dark scowl on her face. Sarah Jane opens the boot of her car. Inside is something covered with a green blanket. The Doctor pulls the blanket off to reveal a quite adorable tin dog.

"K9!" The Doctor gasps, joyfully "Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, Wolfe, allow me to introduce K9... Well, K9 Mark III to be precise."

Mickey and Rose glance at each other with an 'it's a tin dog' sort of expression.

"Why does he look so... disco?" asks Rose

"Oi! Listen, in the year five thousand, this was cutting edge! What's happened to him?" Asks The Doctor

"Oh, one day, he just... nothing!" Sighed Sarah Jane

"Well, didn't you try and get him repaired?" demands the Doctor

Mickey shakes his head. Rose stares at him. They really don't get it. "Well, it's not like getting parts for a mini-metro! Beside, the technology inside him could rewrite human science. I couldn't show him to anyone!" "Ooh, what's the nasty lady done to you?" He coos at the dog

Mickey stares at him and Rose rolls her eyes. The Doctor strokes K9, still making coo-ing noises. Sarah Jane throws Rose what could be described as a triumphant glance.

"Look, no offense but could you two just stop petting for a minute? Never mind the tin dog, we're busy!" Orders Rose

The Doctor closes the boot, grinning.

"Let's go to dinner." He cries

"What?" I demand

"Come on! I know Rose loves her chips, let's head over to the chip shop!" grins the Doctor, manically


	20. Chapter 20

_"Come on! I know Rose loves her chips, let's head over to the chip shop!" grins the Doctor, manically_

After being seated at the chip shop, The Doctor and Sarah Jane are sitting at a table by the window, chatting and laughing whilst the Doctor tries to fix K9, who has been placed on the table-top. Mickey, Rose and I are by the counter.

"You see, what's impressive is that it's been nearly an hour since we met her and I still haven't said 'I told you so'." Mickey explains to Rose

Rose responds sourly, wrenching her eyes away from the pair "I'm not listening to this."  
"Although, I have prepared a little "I was right" dance that I can show you later." He sniggers. I glare at him. The shopkeeper holds her hand out to Rose.

"Two quid, love."

Rose gives her the money, takes the chips and tucks in immediately.

"All this time you've been giving it, "he's different! ", when the truth is, he's just like any other bloke!" I smack Mickey, but he pays no attention to me. They sit down at a table away from the Doctor and Sarah Jane. "You don't know what you're talking about." Snarls Rose

"Maybe not. But if I were you... I'd go easy on the chips." Smirks Mickey and I glower in his direction. Rose is shovelling them into her mouth like there's no tomorrow. I sigh as it's clear she is miserable, and Mickey isn't making things any better.

I walk over to the Doctor, and I catch part of their conversation.

"I thought of you on Christmas Day. This Christmas just gone? Great big spaceship overhead, I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Bet he's up there'." Grins Sarah Jane

"Right on top of it, yeah." Grins the Doctor

"And Rose?" Sarah Jane asks, cautiously

"She was there too." Admits the Doctor

There is a pause whilst Sarah Jane looks at him and the Doctor fiddles with K9's wires.

"Did I do something wrong? Because you never came back for me. You just... dumped me." She asks him, sounding wounded

"I told you. I was called back home and in those days humans weren't allowed." The Doctor answers, gruffly

"I waited for you. I missed you." The Doctor brushes this off

"Oh, you didn't need me! You were getting on with your life."

"You were my life." She admits, quietly. The Doctor looks up at her.

"You know what the most difficult thing was? Coping with what happens next, and with what doesn't happen next. You took me to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, you showed me supernovas, intergalactic battles and then you just dropped me back on Earth. How could anything compare to that?" demands Sarah Jane

"All those things you saw, do you want me to apologize for that?" Asks The Doctor

"No, but we get a taste of that splendour... and then we have to go back." She sighs

"But look at you, you're investigating. You found that school, you're doing what we always did." He encourages

"You could've come back." She repeats

"I couldn't." The Doctor answers, quietly

"Why not?" she whispers back.

The Doctor does not answer. Sarah Jane shakes her head and the Doctor switches his sonic screwdriver back on and returns to repairing K9. But she's still not done.

"It wasn't Croydon, where you dropped me off, it wasn't Croydon!" Sarah Jane says

"Where was it?"

"Aberdeen." She frowns at him

"Right." He pauses "That's next to Croydon, isn't it?" Sarah Jane smiles and shakes her head. At that moment, K9 springs to life.

"Oh, hey! Now we're in business!" He leaps to his feet and stands in front of K9.

"Master!" K9 Cries

"He recognizes me!" The Doctor cries, ecstatic

"Affirmative." Responds the dog

"Rose, give us the oil." He orders

The Doctor takes off the lid of the jar with the oil inside and is just about to dip his finger in it.

"I wouldn't touch it, though, that dinner lady got all scalded." Warns Rose "I'm no dinner lady. And I don't often say that." He dips his finger into the oil and K9 puts out a sensor for the Doctor to smear it onto, which he does. "Here we go. Come on, boy. Here we go." The Doctor says, like a child.

"Oil. Ex, ex, ex, extract ana, an... analysing..." K9 coughs, scratchily

"Listen to it, man! That's a voice!' Laughs Mickey

"Careful! That's my dog!" Sarah Jane scolds him. Mickey looks sheepish. "Confirmation of analysis: substance is Krillitane Oil." Annoucnes K9

"They're Krillitanes." Gasps the Doctor, looking horrified

"Is that bad?" I ask

"Very. Think of how bad things could possibly be, and add another suitcase full of bad." He groans

"And what are... Krillitanes?" asks Sarah Jane

"They're a composite race. Just like your culture is a mixture of traditions from all sorts of countries, people you've invaded or have been invaded by, you've got bits, bits of Viking, bits of France, bits of whatever... the Krillitanes are the same. An amalgam of the races they've conquered. But they take physical aspects as well. They cherry-pick the best bits from the people they destroy. That's why I didn't recognize them. The last time I saw Krillitanes, they looked just like us except they had really long necks." He groans

"What're they doing here?" I demand

"It's the children. They're doing something to the children." The Doctor says, sounding horrified "We've got to go."

We hurry to the car. Mickey and Sarah Jane hoist K9 into the boot of the car.

"So, what's the deal with the tin dog?" He asks her

"The Doctor likes travelling with an entourage. Sometimes they're humans, sometimes they're aliens, and sometimes... they're tin dogs." Mickey smiles and gives a small laugh.

"What about you? Where do you fit in the picture?" She asks him

"Me?" Mickey asks enthusiastically "I'm their Man in Havana. I'm the technical support, I'm..." And it hits him. "Oh, my God. I'm the tin dog." He sits down in shock. Sarah Jane grins and pats him on the shoulder. I leave, wincing at Mickey's realization.

The Doctor paces in front of the chip shop followed by Rose.

"How many of us have there been, travelling with you?" she asks him

"Does it matter?" the Doctor asks

"Yeah, it does, if I'm just the latest in a long line." Rose's voice trembles. "As opposed to what?" He is staring at her, looking angry and hurt.

"I thought you and me were... but I obviously got it wrong. I've been to the year five billion, right, but this... now this is really seeing the future. You just leave us behind. Is that what you're going to do to me?" she asks, tears in her voice.

"No. Not to you." He states firmly, and abruptly

"But Sarah Jane... you were that close to her once, and now... you never even mention her. Why not?" demands Rose

"I don't age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you..." He stops when he realizes what he was about to say.

"What, Doctor?" asks Rose

The Doctor stares at her intensely, as if willing her to understand.

"You can spend the rest of your life with me." Rose looks up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. "But I can't spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That's the curse of the Time Lords."

A screech echoes above us and we all look up to see the bat-like Krillitane bodies on the roof. It screeches and swoops down towards us. We duck, but then it just flies away.

"Was that a Krillitane?"

"But it didn't even touch her, it just flew off! What did it do that for?" Demands Rose

The Krillitane flies off into the night, screeching.

The Doctor sighs "I don't think we'll get much done tonight and without the Tardis, well, We'll just have to go home and wait." Sighs The Doctor

"You all could come back to my place!" Offers Sarah Jane, much to Rose's dismay

"But my Mum-" starts Rose

"Will be fine with it." Interrupts the Doctor. "Rose, give her a ring and tell her we'll be staying at Sarah Jane's, and Sarah thank you for the offer." Smiles The Doctor.

"My pleasure." She smiles at us.

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at her house. It is a large, beautiful stone house with a thick wooden door and tall, sleek windows. Sarah Jane looks over her shoulder at the Doctor as she unlocks the door

"When you left me in Aberdeen, you forgot to take my endless credit card." She explains "Most of it I give to charities, but I figured why not live in style."

"Oh, Sarah Jane." Laughs the Doctor as we walk into the elegant foyer

Sarah Jane takes us on a short tour, before showing us our bedrooms. Down a long hallway, Mickey is first on the right, across from Sarah Jane, the next is The Doctor on the right, across from Rose, and then the next right door was mine. I swallowed uncomfortably at the thought of sleeping by myself.

"Well, I am going to bed, I'm bloody exhausted." Sighed Mickey, going into his room "Thank you Sarah Jane." He said over his shoulder as he shut the door.

"I think I am going to retire too. Goodnight Doctor." Sighs Sarah Jane, giving the Doctor a hug, and going to her room. Now the hallway is painfully awkward in silence between Rose and The Doctor.

"Um-" I start, but they cut me off.

"Goodnight Rose." The Doctor says, gently.

"Doctor." She nods, curtly, before walking into her room and shutting the door.

The Doctor turns in silence and enters his room. I frown, tears filling my eyes. Thanks to this new Sarah Jane I have been forgotten, and my parents are fighting. I turn and walk into my room, which seems dark and looming.

I crawl into bed and shut my eyes, ignoring the tears that squeeze through my eyelids and eyelashes, and fall into a restless sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

_I crawl into bed and shut my eyes, ignoring the tears that squeeze through my eyelids and eyelashes, and fall into a restless sleep._

I shoot up, my heart racing. I can't hear anything but I know something is wrong. I bolt out of my door and to Rose's room, flinging open the door to find her writhing in pain in a nightmare. I shake her to try and wake her up.

"Is she alright?" I hear The Doctor's worried voice behind me.

"Nightmare." I shortly explain to him "Rose?" I hiss trying to wake her up. Her eyes fly open and her arm swings around, her hand colliding with my cheek and jawline, sending me to the floor.

"Wolfe!" gasps The Doctor helping me to my feet. I am cradling my jaw, tears filling my eyes with the pain.

"Ow" I mutter

"Oh, Wolfe I am so sorry!" gasps Rose, now understanding the situation.

"It's okay." I mutter around my swelling cheek. "Are you okay?"

Rose nods. "Nightmare." She explains, breaking my gaze to look at the Doctor.

"Want to talk about it?" he asks, her softly

Tears glisten in her eyes "You left me. By myself back on earth and found someone else." Her voice shatters and she presses her face into his shoulder.

The guilt on his face is painful as he wraps his arms around her shaking shoulders and presses a kiss to the top of her head.

"I am never going to leave you Rose. Not you. Never you." He whispers

"Promise?" her voice is muffled

"Promise." His voice soft but firm.

He gently rocks her in his arms and soon, she dozes off.

He lays her down in bed again. He goes to get up and I stopped him.

"You promised. Not her." I whisper and he freezes, turning to look at me.

I nod at the empty spot beside Rose in bed. He smiles slightly at me before snuggling under the covers next to her.

"You coming?" he asks, rolling onto his back to allow me room between them.

I smile and snuggle into the warm spot between them and fall asleep.

"Rose? Do you know where the Doctor is he wasn't in his-Oh." I wake up to the sound of Sarah Jane bursting into the room.

I realize quickly this will not help the animosity between Rose and Sarah Jane, but my arm is pinned underneath the Doctor's sleeping form and I can't sit up.

"Good morning Sarah Jane." Yawns Rose, sitting up and ruffling her hair.

"Good morning." She responds in a clipped manner "I was just looking for the Doctor."

"Oh." Rose looks at the Doctor, next to her. She smacks him on the shoulder. "Wake up." She orders and The Doctor sits up, panicked.

I sit up, to now that my arm is freed.

"Wolfe?" asks Sarah Jane in surprise, "What are you doing-nevermind." She sighs "What happened to your face?"

My hand flies to the cheek where Rose accidentally hit me last night.

"Wolfe was waking me up from a nightmare and I accidentally hit her." Rose explains as she gets out of bed.

"You hit a four-year-old?" demands Sarah Jane, having only heard that

"No, well yes, but it was an accident." Rose says, annoyed

"We need to get going Doctor." Sarah Jane ignores Rose's comment before turning on her heel and leaving.

The Doctor breathes out heavily, running his fingers through his hair.

Rose smacks him.

"Oi! What was that for?"

"Not standing up for me! Now Sarah Jane's gonna call child services or something!"

"Call what?" Asks the Doctor.

"Ugh." Groans Rose, getting out of bed. "Go get dressed. I don't have time to explain this stuff to you."

The Doctor got out of bed and sulked out of the room.

"I'm sorry about your face, Wolfe." Sighs Rose

"It's okay, it hardly even hurts." I answer, going to my room.

I change into the clothes, which The Doctor pulled out of his endless pockets. I truly hope today won't be as awkward between Sarah Jane and Rose as it was yesterday.

The school bell rings and the children flock towards the building. The five of us get out of Sarah Jane's car and stride towards the school. The Doctor pauses for a moment to give instructions.

"Rose, Sarah, you go to the Math room. Crack open those computers, I need to see the hardware inside. Here, you might need this." Rose holds her hand out, but he hands his sonic screwdriver to Sarah Jane. I wince as Rose looks peeved. "Mickey, surveillance. I want you outside." Continues the Doctor

"Just stand outside" Demands Mickey

"Here, take these, you can keep K9 company." Sarah Jane smiles as she hands Mickey the keys to her car

"Don't forget to leave the window open a crack." Informs The Doctor

"But he's metal!" Cries Mickey

"I didn't mean for him." Grins the Doctor

"What're you gonna do?" I ask The Doctor

"It's time I had a word with Mr Finch. Wolfe want to come?" The Doctor grins at me

"She is coming with us, Doctor." Informs Sarah Jane, smiling at me.

I smile back, wondering just what she has in mind.

We enter the building and weave up the stairwells until we find and empty math classroom.

"Let's try and turn on the computer." I suggest.

"Good idea." Nods Sarah Jane, crawling underneath one of the computer desks and starts trying to switch on the sonic screwdriver. She comes out, hits the keyboard and stares at the sonic screwdriver. Rose is with her legs crossed on one of the chairs. I see the amusement in her eyes.

"It's not working!" Sarah Jane sighs, annoyed

"Give it to me." Sighs Rose as she hops up and takes the sonic screwdriver off Sarah Jane, rolling her eyes, and ducking underneath the desk.

"Used to work first time in my day." Sarah Jane says to me

"Well, things were a lot simpler back then." Rose responds. She turns the sonic screwdriver on and it whirrs and buzzes as she holds it to the back of the computer.

"Rose, can I give you a bit of advice?" asks Sarah Jane

"I've got a feeling you're about to." Sighs Rose as she straightens up

"I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can be, and I don't want you to feel I'm intruding..." Sarah Jane continues

"I don't feel threatened by you if that's what you mean." Rose states, firmly

"Right. Good. Because, I'm not interested in picking up where we left off." Sighs Sarah Jane

"No? With the big sad eyes and the robot dog? What else were you doing last night?" Rose responds, sharply

"I was just saying how hard it was adjusting to life back on Earth..." Starts Sarah Jane, now trying to repair the mess she made.

"The thing is... when you two met... they'd only just got rid of rationing. No wonder all that space stuff was a bit too much for ya." Smirks Rose, walking away from Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane indignantly walks over to Rose "I had no problem with space stuff. I saw things you wouldn't believe."

"Try me." Rose smirks, coldly in her face

"Mummies."

"I've met ghosts."

"Robots. Lots of robots."

"Slitheen. In Downing Street."

"Daleks!"

"Met the Emperor." Rose snorts

"Anti-Matter monsters."

"Gas masked zombies."

"Real living dinosaurs!"

"Real living werewolf!"

"The Loch Ness Monster!" cries Sarah Jane

"... Seriously?" Rose gasps

Sarah Jane puts her hands over her mouth and shakes her head.

Rose smiles and laughs slightly. "Listen to us. It's like me and my mate Shireen. The only time we fell out was over a man, and... we're arguing over the Doctor." Smiles Rose

Sarah Jane relaxes against a desk, and Rose looks at her for a moment. "With you, did he do that thing where he'd explain something at like, ninety-miles-per-hour, and you'd go, "what?" and he'd look at you like you'd just dribbled on your shirt?" Rose asks

"All the time!" Sarah Jane responds and we laugh.

"Does he still stroke bits of the TARDIS?" She asks

"Yeah! Yeah! He does! I'm like, 'do you two wanna be alone?'" Rose giggles and we laugh madly, and then the Doctor walks in.

"How's it going?" He grins

The sight of him makes us laugh even harder.

"What? Listen, I need to find out what's programmed inside these."

We take no notice of him and fall about laughing hysterically, Rose pointing the sonic screwdriver at him.

"What? Stop it!" he orders, genuinely lost.

Suddenly, the door opens and children clamber to get inside the IT Suite Rose shoos them away.

'No, no, this classroom's out of bounds. You've all gotta go to the South Hall. Off you go, South Hall!" she orders

The children move away and Rose shuts the door.

"Nice job." Compliments Sarah Jane, and Rose smiles

The Doctor is already ripping out wires and zapping things with his sonic screwdriver. The Doctor, sonic screwdriver clenched between his teeth, rips a handful of wires out of a computer and hangs them around his neck as runs the sonic screwdriver along the back of the computer. We watch him, looking slightly anxious.

"I can't shift it." Groans the Doctor

"I thought the sonic screwdriver could open anything!" Sarah Jane says

"Anything except a deadlock seal. There's gotta be something inside here. What're they teaching those kids?" Groans The Doctor.

Suddenly the room lights up, with every computer showing a weird green code, including the large screen at the front of the room.

"Some sort of code..." Mutters The Doctor, staring at it. He paces, glancing every so often at the strange code.

"No... no, they can't be..." he gasps.

"What?" demands Rose, Sarah Jane and I, together

"The Skasis Paradigm. They're trying to crack the Skasis Paradigm." He says, sounding horrified

"The Skasis what?" sighs Sarah Jane

"The... God-maker. The universal theory. Crack that equation and you've got control of the building blocks of the universe. Time and space and matter, yours to control." Explains the Doctor, and the pit of my stomach sinks.

"What, and the kids are like a giant computer?" I ask

"Yes." He says, as he paces around, working it out. "And their learning power is being accelerated by the oil! That oil from the kitchens, it works as a... as a... conducting agent. Makes the kids cleverer."

"But that oil's on the chips. I've been eating them." Rose says, looking horrified herself

"What's fifty-nine times thirty-five?" He demands of her

"Two thousand and sixty five." Answers Rose instantly

The Doctor gives a "that says it all" look.

"Oh my God... " mutters Rose

"But why use children? Can't they use adults?" Asks Sarah Jane

"No, it's gotta be children. The God-maker needs imagination to crack it. They're not just using the children's brains to break the code... they're using their souls." He explains again, running his hands through his hair in distress. Behind him, we freeze as Mr Finch walks into the room

"Let the lesson begin" his slimy voice says


	22. Chapter 22

_Behind him, we freeze as Mr Finch walks into the room_ _"Let the lesson begin." His slimy voice says_

The Doctor turns to face him.

"Think of it, Doctor, with the Paradigm solved, reality becomes clay in our hands. We can shape the universe and improve it." He grins as he approaches slowly

"Oh yeah? The whole of creation with the face of Mr Finch. Call me old fashioned, but I like things as they are." The Doctor retorts

"You act like such a radical, and yet all you want to do is preserve the old order. Think of the changes that could be made if this power was used for good." Sighs Mr. Finch.

"What, by someone like you?" The Doctor asks, skeptically

"No... someone like you." Smiles Mr. Finch. The Doctor is silent, this is not the answer he was expecting.

"The Paradigm gives us power, but you could give us wisdom. Become a God. At my side. Imagine what you could do, think of the civilizations you could save. Perganon, Assinta... your own people, Doctor. Standing tall. The Time Lords... reborn." Mr Finch grins smarmily at u all. The Doctor still says nothing, and I silently will him to speak. He is just staring into Mr Finch's eyes and not looking away.

"Doctor, don't listen to him." I speak, quickly and Mr. Finch turns to look at me, Rose and Sarah Jane.

"And you could be with him throughout eternity. Young... fresh... never wither, never age... never die. Their lives are so fleeting. So many goodbyes. How lonely you must be, Doctor. Join us." Smiles Mr. Finch.

The Doctor has a faraway look in his eyes and I can see he's so terribly tempted.

"I could save everyone..." whispers The Doctor

"Yes." Grins Mr. FInch

" I could stop the war..." Whispers the Doctor

A small smile graces Finch's lips.

"No. The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love." Sarah Jane says, desperately

Mr Finch closes his eyes.

"Whether it's a world, or a relationship... everything has its time. And everything ends." I add to Sarah Jane's point and I see gratitude flash in her eyes.

The Doctor stares for a few more seconds and then he grits his teeth, picks up a chair and hurls it through the screen displaying the code, which smashes.

"Out!" He yells

Mr. Finch, rushes out of the room and we hear a horrifying screech echo through the halls. We rush outside and start down the stairwell only to run into Kenny and Mickey at the bottom of the stairs

"What is going on?" demands Mickey as three Krillitanes half fly, half grope their way along the corridor to them. We all see them and turn on our heels and run in the opposite direction. We run into the canteen hall and try the doors on the other side, but they are locked. The Doctor reaches inside his coat for the sonic screwdriver, just as Mr Finch bursts through the doors followed by several of the Krillitanes.

"Are they my teachers?" Whimpers Kenny

"Yeah. Sorry." I wince

"Leave the Doctor alive. As for the others... you can feast." Mr. Finch snarls at the other Krillitanes

The Krillitanes swoop down on us. The Doctor tries to beat them off with a chair. With shrieks we try to duck out of the way, when suddenly, one of the Krillitanes is hit with a beam of red light and falls to the floor, dead. We freeze in shock and confusion, only to see K9 wagging his tail happily.

K9 has come to the rescue! Mr Finch roars with rage.

"K9!" Gasps Sarah Jane

"Suggest you engage running mode, mistress." K9 responds to her

"Come on!" Cries the Doctor, scooping me up and we run down the hall, the sound of K9 shooting down more Krillitanes behind us.

"K9, hold them back!" The Doctor yells over his shoulder

"Affirmative, master. Maximum defense mode!" K9 yowls back

The Doctor reaches a door, he ushers us through it.

"Come on!" he urges before he slams it shut behind us and locks it with his sonic screwdriver.

"Power supply failing." K9 yells

"Forget the shooty dog thing." We hear Mr. Finch yell in exasperation

"Power supply failing!" K9 yells again, then silence.

"It's the oil. Krillitane life forms can't handle the oil! That's it! They've changed the physiology so often, even their own oil is toxic to them. How much was there in the kitchens?" The Doctor cries in excitement

"Barrels of it." Grins Rose

We jump as the Krillitanes start to pound on the locked door, their claws ripping holes in it.

"Okay, we need to get to the kitchens. Mickey..." starts The Doctor

"What now, hold the coats?" Mickey glares at the Doctor

"Get all the children unplugged and out of the school. Now then, bats, bats, bats, how do we fight bats?" Groans the Doctor. I furrow my brow before I remember what I learned in biology this week. I run over to a fire alarm, break the glass with my elbow and set it off. The Krillitanes immediately wince and quail at the shrill sound. The Doctor beams and flings open the door, the Krillitanes are in too much distress to hurt us, because bats have very sensitive hearing. We leg it down a corridor, and K9 emerges from a doorway.

"Master!" K9 says, joyfully

"Come on, boy!" Cheers the Doctor "Good boy."

K9 trundles along with us. We arrive at the kitchens a few moments later. The Doctor immediately holds his sonic screwdriver to one of the oil barrels.

"They've been deadlock sealed!" he groans in despair. He tries another. "Finch must've done that. I can't open them." He says

"The vats would not withstand a direct hit from my laser. But my batteries are failing." K9 informs us

"Right. Everyone out the back door. K9, stay with me." Orders The Doctor

"No!" I say, as Sarah Jane, Rose and Kenny run to the backdoor, leaving the Doctor and I.

"Wolfe, go!" he orders

"Bu Doctor-" I start

"No! Hurry! Go!" He yells, and I turn and run.

I meet everyone else in the parking lot and watch in terror as the Doctor doesn't arrive. Finally, The Doctor emerges outside and slams the door behind him, locking it with the sonic screwdriver.

'Where's K9?" demands Sarah Jane

"We need to run." He says, and he starts to run.

"Where is he?! What've you done?" Demands Sarah Jane The Doctor grabs her and pulls her away.

We stop about 60 meters from the school.

Sarah Jane looks distraught.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor whispers to her

"It's all right. He was just a... daft metal dog. Fine, really." She says, and then she bursts into tears. The Doctor puts his arm around her comfortingly.

Then, the school explodes.

Flaming bits of building are hurled in all directions. I watch as just like in my dream, a huge piece is heading for a celebrating Rose and Mickey, who are hugging each other.

"NO!" I scream throwing myself at them, sending them into the asphalt. The metal piece crashes on me. I hear the shrieks of everyone around me.

I gasp as I feel a couple of metal slices pierce my skin.

"Help me lift it up!" I hear the Doctor order, and then the flaming metal is heaved off me.

"Oh thank god." Gasps Rose as the Doctor, falls to his knees and scooping me into his arms, squeezing me tightly.

"I'm okay." I whisper.

"I thought I told you to stop that nonsense!" he hisses in my ear.

"I think I am learning from you." I whisper back "Plus I tried to tell you earlier."

He shakes his head, laughter in his eyes. "Alright. Come on, let's get home."

I open my mouth to complain about the cuts but I shut it. He is already talking with Sarah Jane, and I don't want to bother him.

We stand and go looking through the rubble for the Tardis.

After locating the Tardis, we agreed on a meeting spot and Sarah Jane, Mickey and Rose went to go collect our stuff from Jackie's. Now parked on a pretty green hill, The Doctor steps outside the doors and faces Sarah Jane.

"Cuppa tea?" He steps aside to let Sarah Jane walk through the doors. She takes in the interior, wide-eyed. The Doctor follows her through and shuts the door behind her. She turns to him.

"You've redecorated!" she gasps

"Do you like it?" he asks

"Oh, I, I do. Yeah. I preferred it as it was, but uh... yeah. It'll do!" grins Sarah Jane

"I love it." Grins Rose

"Hey, you, what's forty seven times three hundred and sixty nine?" demands Sarah Jane, jokingly to Rose

"No idea. It's gone now, the oil's faded." Rose smiles, ruefully.

"But you're still clever. More than a match for him." Sarah Jane says, jerking her head in The Doctor's direction.

"You and me both." Rose smiles.

Sarah Jane nods. Rose looks to the Doctor who is fiddling with the computer, as though prompting him to say something.

"Doctor...?" She says

"Um... we're about to head off, but... you could come with us." The Doctor offers

Rose looks at her, smiling expectantly. Sarah Jane looks from happy face to happy face. And shakes her head.

"No... I can't do this anymore." She whispers The Doctor's smile fades slightly. "Besides, I've got a much bigger adventure ahead! Time I stopped waiting for you and found a life of my own." Sarah Jane smiles

"Can I come?" asks Mickey, and Sarah Jane looks surprised. Rose however, knows exactly what he means and looks none too pleased.

"No, not with you, I mean... with you." He gestures to the Doctor. "'Cause I'm not the tin dog. And I wanna see what's out there."

Rose mouths "no" at the Doctor.

"Oh, go on, Doctor. Sarah Jane Smith, a Mickey Smith. You need a Smith on board!" laughs Sarah Jane

"Okay then, I could do with a laugh." Grins The Doctor

Rose rolls her eyes. Mickey laughs in delight, but stops quickly upon noticing Rose's lack of response.

"Rose, is that okay?" He asks her

"No, great. Why not?" she says, rather sarcastically

There is a awkward silence.

"Well, I'd better go." Sarah Jane announces

She takes Rose aside. The Doctor returns his attention to the computer. "What do I do?" She glances over at the Doctor. "Do I stay with him?" Rose asks Sarah Jane

"Yes. Some things are worth getting your heart broken for." Smiles Sarah Jane. She embraces Rose. "Find me... if you need to, one day. Find me." Rose gives her a small smile.

"As for you, cutie, be safe." Smiles Sarah Jane, giving me a hug.

The Doctor holds open the doors for Sarah Jane, who steps out of the Tardis for the last time. The Doctor follows her and they stand outside for their final goodbyes. I peer through the windows.

"It's daft. But I haven't ever thanked you for that time, and like I said, I wouldn't have missed it for the world." Sarah Jane smiles.

"Something to tell the grandkids." Grins The Doctor

"Oh, I think it'll be someone else's grandkids now." Sarah Jane answers, gently

"Right. Yes, sorry, I didn't get a chance to ask. You haven't... there hasn't been anyone...? You know...?" The Doctor asks awkwardly

"Well... there was this one guy. I travelled with him for a while. But he was a tough act to follow." She laughs slightly and the Doctor smiles softly. "Goodbye, Doctor." She whispers

"Oh, it's not goodbye..." starts the Doctor

"Say it, please. This time. Say it." She whispers

"Goodbye. My Sarah Jane." He throws his arms around her and lifts her right off the ground in a final embrace. He gives her one last smile before heading back into the TARDIS and closing the door behind him, leaving Sarah Jane standing alone outside. He stands there, frozen for a moment, before he turns with a grin.

"So. Where to?"


	23. Chapter 23

_He stands there, frozen for a moment, before he turns with a grin. "So. Where to?"_

The tension between Mickey and Rose is back. I don't think its love, I dealt with that already. I think its jealousy over what her life has become compared to his, and Rose doesn't want him encroaching on her life. Regardless, Mickey is hiding in his room to avoid Rose's sharp comments.

Rose is still angry about the Doctor's treatment of Sarah Jane, so she's hiding in her room, and the Doctor is in his room because I think he is still mourning Sarah Jane. So once again, I am alone. Over the past two days I have been completely ignored. Now, curled up in the quietest, darkest corner of The Tardis, I allow myself to cry. I have been here a almost over a week, and been in more life threatening situations then the past 20 years combined. I love being with Rose and The Doctor, but sometimes I just feel so alone. Then there's the cuts, which are still bleeding. I just don't have the heart to tell them about it because I don't want them to stress about it. I've wrapped some bandages over it, but they're almost soaked through.

The door flies open, and bright light shines in.

"Oh thank god." Sighs Rose as the Doctor looks over her shoulder

"Hi." I mutter, looking away so I can hide my tearstained face.

"We were looking everywhere for you!" scolds The Doctor

"I figured you wouldn't notice." I mutter, half annoyed and half sad

"What do you mean we wouldn't notice?" Demands The Doctor

"Shh, Doctor stop yelling at her! It won't help anything." Chastises Rose

She kneels beside me "Wolfe, why are you hiding here? We've been looking for you for three hours."

"I don't know." I mutter "I just figured you wouldn't mind if I disappeared."

"Why would you think that?" Demands The Doctor, and I see the angry and scared look in his eyes.

"Doctor." Rose hisses, before looking back at me

"You kept leaving me behind or forgetting about me. It was all about Mickey or Sarah Jane and no one gave a thought about me." I say, sadly

Rose winces. "We're sorry we've just been really busy. You're right. We should have at least checked in with you."

I nod, wiping my nose on my sleeve

"Come on." Rose says, scooping me up.

I gasp with pain, and fight a shriek of agony. Her hands have just put pressure on the longest cut, and no I can feel how she reopened the wound by accident, blood pouring out of it.

Now I am dizzy with pain. I see the faded faces of Rose and The Doctor in panic as they rush me to the med bay. I hear The Doctor yelling at Rose when everything goes black.

"Goddamn it Doctor!" I awake to Rose's sharp yell

"What?"

"Goddamn you and your stupid Sarah Jane!"

"What?"

"If you hadn't been so enthralled by her then maybe you would've noticed how hurt Wolfe was!"

"What-"

"I swear to god you say what one more time-"

"No of course it's not your fault either Rose!" The Doctor yells back

"What?"

"And even so both of us have been ignoring her! She's only been here barely over a week and we've already let her get hurt five or six times, left her alone in dangerous situations and completely forgot about her! She's only a child, and we're going to hurt her."

"Then what do you suggest?" Rose's voice is quieter now. "We can't just leave her behind or by herself."

"Your Mum-" Starts The Doctor

"Would have no idea how to handle her. Doctor, _she_ found _us_ and as much as you may deny it, you love her just as much as she loves us."

Silence.

"That may be but I can't keep putting her in danger, it's just not fair to her. I-I can't be responsible for a child again. Rose, you know…I had a family once. I was a Dad once and I just…I can't lose someone like her again. Or you. I told you Rose, the curse of the Timelords is we outlive everyone we-." He swallows and I hear him shift his weight.

"Doctor, I know you're upset about this, and I understand how Wolfe would remind you of your people and your children, and I know that I can never give you your forever, but I can give you mine which is the best I can do, but when I am gone, you're going to need someone around who can help you keep going. You know Wolfe will regenerate. She can give you forever."

"But what if she doesn't want to? What if she grows up and one day wakes up and realizes that I am broken and old and not worth her time anymore. What then?"

"I don't think she will Doctor. I saw her face the other day when we were acting as a family and she had to call you 'dad'. I think she wants you to love her like a daughter as much as you want to be loved back by someone. Honestly, I've never felt like I would ever be a Mum until I met her, but now…I feel like she is my child and I've known her for a week! She has no one besides us Doctor, and I think she deserves everything that comes with our crazy lives including the danger."

There is no response from the Doctor, but I feel a very warm, calloused hand start to gently stroke my hair.

"Okay, but I need you to promise me something Rose." The Doctor's voice is deadly soft "Two things, actually. One, that we never tell her about this conversation and let her make the decision herself, and two, that no matter what happens, her life comes first. I don't care what happens to me, but always pick her over me."

"Alright Doctor." Rose whispers back.

I wait a few moments, before I make a small noise and start to shift as if I am just waking up. I flutter my eyes, catching sight of Rose and the Doctor's worried faces above me.

"Wolfe are you okay?" Rose asks, helping me sit up.

I nod, before answering "Yeah I think so."

"Are you sure?" she questions.

"Yes. How long have I been out?"

"Two hours." She answers as she inspects my back. "It looks like its healed up perfectly! Doctor how-" she starts only to realize the Doctor left the room.

"He must have jump started some of my regenerative cells. That's why I am so sleepy." I yawn.

"Then let's get you to-"

"Rose, Help!" Mickey's yelp echoes through the Tardis.

She freezes, with a sigh.

"Wolfe, wait here. I have to go help Mickey."

She walks out the door and I hear her annoyed yell "What Mickey?"

I wait a moment, before sliding off the med bay bed and walking down the hall. I walk down hall after hall.

 _Please Tardis, help me find The Doctor._ I silently beg.

Suddenly, I catch sight of a door which I could have sworn wasn't there before. I carefully open it and I gasp with awe. It looks like a porch off the Tardis, where we can watch all of space flash by as we sail through it. Standing at the porch, hands gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were white, was The Doctor. I quietly shut the door behind me.

Walking closer, I see the angry agonizing torment in his eyes.

Very gently, I reach up and place my hand on his.

His head snaps down to look at me in surprise.

"Wolfe." He says, softly

I look up at him, every fiber in my being wanting to tell him he is my Dad and that I will never leave him.

"Doctor." I respond instead. "I'm sorry."

I hear his breathing shift slightly, then he turns to look at me.  
"Wolfe, you have no reason to be sorry. I am sorry." He sighs

"I forgive you." I whisper and I watch as the weight visibly leaves his shoulders. "Now can you come and read to me Harry Potter?"

He smiles at me, affectionately. "Of course."

He takes my hand and leads me away from the porch and to my room.


	24. Chapter 24

_He takes my hand and leads me away from the porch and to my room._

I awake to a gentle shake. I yawn and roll onto my back.

"Hey, Wolfe? We're here." I hear Rose's gentle voice. I sit up, blinking and yawning.

"Where?"

"No idea." Grins Rose, and I grin back.

"I'll be right there. Don't you dare leave without me!" I laugh, now wide awake

"You have five minutes!" Laughs Rose, leaving

I hurry out of bed and change into a simple polka dot white and black dress, black converse and a white ribbon in my hair. I rush to the Tardis console and the Doctor opens the door, all of us hurrying out.

We proceed to look around a dark, apparently disused room of the spaceship.

"It's a spaceship! Brilliant, I got a spaceship on my first go!" Mickey cheers

"Looks kind of abandoned..." I say, looking around

"Anyone on board?" asks Rose

"Nah, nothing here. Well! Nothing dangerous. Well! Not that dangerous." He pauses "You know what, I'll just have a quick scan... in case there's anything dangerous." Rose smirks as he walks over to a control panel in the center of the room and starts tapping at some buttons.

"So, what's the date? How far we gone?" she asks

"About three thousand years into your future, give or take." The Doctor pulls on a switch and the lights turn on, the roof gradually opening into a window, which shows a spectacular view of the stars outside.

"Fifty-first century. Diagmar Cluster, you're a long way from home, Mickey! Two and a half galaxies!" crows The Doctor

Mickey has moved to a porthole, gazing out in awe. Rose walks over and places her hands on his shoulders, smiling. The Doctor rummages around the control panel, picking up bits and pieces of presumably broken technology and looking unimpressed.

"Mickey Smith meet the universe. See anything you like?

"It's so realistic!" he gasps.

"Dear me, had some cowboys in here! Got a ton of repair work going on." The Doctor says. He chucks the pieces down casually, noticing a screen with a diagram of the spaceship on it. Rose, Mickey and I join him to look at it.

"Now that's odd, look at that. All the warp engines are going... full capacity! There's enough power running through this ship to punch a hole in the universe... and we're not moving. So where's all that power going?" The Doctor asks himself

"Where'd all the crew go?" I ask

The Doctor leans forward and tweaks some knobs on the control panel. "Good question, no life readings on board." Mutters The Doctor

"Well, we're in deep space; they didn't just nip out for a quick smoke." Rose snorts

"Nope, checked all the smoking pods." The Doctor answers, not understanding her sarcasm

There is a pause as we gaze around and the Doctor sniffs.

"Can you smell that?" he asks and I take a deep breath. The smell of something cooking suddenly reminds me just how hungry I am.

"Yeah, someone's cooking." Rose says

"Sunday roast, definitely!" Mickey agrees and my mouth waters.

The Doctor presses something else and a door opens behind us. We walk through and see part of the wall and floor with 18th decor, as well as a familiar looking lit fireplace.

"Well, there's something you don't see in your average spaceship. Eighteenth century! French! Nice mantel." He pulls out his sonic screwdriver and points it at the fireplace "Not a hologram." He bends down and examines it closely, and I look right beside him, while Mickey and Rose explore the rest of the room. "Not even a reproduction, this actually is an eighteenth century French fireplace. Double-sided, there's another room through there." He explains to me. Rose is looking through another porthole on the same wall as the fireplace.

"There can't be, that's the outer hull of the ship, look." She calls.

The Doctor suddenly crouches down, looking through the fire into the other room. A young girl with long blonde hair, dressed in a nightgown, is looking back at him. I gasp

"Hello!" The Doctor grins at her

"Hello..." the young girl responds

"What's your name?" The Doctor asks her

"Reinette."

"Reinette, that's a lovely name. Can you tell me where you are at the moment, Reinette?" The Doctor continues

"In my bedroom." She asnwers, cautiously

"And where's your bedroom? Where do you live, Reinette?"

"Paris, of course!" she says, confused

"Paris, right!" smiles The Doctor

"Monsieur, what are you doing in my fireplace?" she asks him

"Oh, it's just a routine... fire check. Can you tell me what year it is?"

"Of course I can! Seventeen hundred and twenty seven." She smiles at him

"Right, lovely! One of my favorites... August is rubbish though. Stay indoors. Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for your help. Hope you enjoy the rest of the fire. Nice night!" babbles The Doctor

"Goodnight Monsieur."

The Doctor stands, looking thoughtful.

"You said this was the fifty-first century." Mickey scolds, looking disappointed

"I also said this ship was generating enough power to punch a hole in the universe. I think we just found the hole. Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink." The Doctor explains, and I hide a laugh

"What's that?" Mickey asks

"No idea. Just made it up. Didn't wanna say "magic door"." Shrugs the Doctor and I chuckle

"And on the other side of the "magic door"" Rose lowers her voice for magic door "is France in 1727?"

The Doctor nods and looks back at the fireplace before walking across the room, taking his coat off and throwing it in the corner.

"Well, she was speaking French. Right period French, too." Explains the Doctor

"She was speaking English, I heard her!" Gasps Mickey

Rose drapes her arms around Mickey's neck as the Doctor strides back to the fireplace.

"That's the TARDIS, translates for ya" Rose informs him. As she does, the firelight catches on Rose's hand and I realize she still has the ring on.

I grin as Mickey gasps "Even French?!"

"Yep." I answer with a smile

The Doctor knees the side of the fireplace and that section of the wall begins to rotate, just like in a horror movie, taking the Doctor with it.

"Gotcha!" cries The Doctor

"Doctor!" Rose shrieks

I kneel by the fire and peer through the flames, catching sight of the Doctor, once the fireplace has finished turning. He is standing in a dark and shadowy bedroom. I can hear the ticking of a clock as the Doctor wanders out of sight. I can see a bed, with a sleeping form in it. At a neigh of a horse, the figure sits u, gasping and staring at The Doctor.

"It's okay! Don't scream! It's me, it's the fireplace man. Look." I hear the Doctor say and he walks back over into my view and lights a candle by her bed with the sonic screwdriver. She still looks startled.

"We were talking, just a moment ago. I was in your fireplace." Explains The Doctor

"Monsieur, that was weeks ago. That was months!" gasps Reinette

"Really? Oh." The doctor responds, surprised. He walks back to the fireplace and knocks on it, listening to the sound produced. "Must be a loose connection. Need to get a man in.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" asks Reinette. The Doctor does not reply, instead staring mantel of the fireplace. I can't see his face. The ticking sound is prominent once more.

"Okay, that's scary..." mutters The Doctor

"You're scared of a broken clock?" asks Reinette

"Just a bit scared, yeah. Just a little tiny bit. 'Cause you see, if this clock's broken, and it's the only clock in the room..." The Doctor pauses, turning to look back at Reinette. The ticking continues.

"Then what's that?" he asks her. The ticking grows louder and Reinette looks around, clearly scared again. The Doctor barely moves, speaking slowly and quietly.

"'Cause you see that's not a clock. You can tell by the resonance. Too big. Six feet, I'd say. Size of a man."

"What is it?" whispers Reinette fearfully

The Doctor moves across the room, further away from my line of sight. He is speaking more quickly now, spilling out his thought processes. "Now, let's think. If you were a thing that ticks and you were hiding in someone's bedroom, first thing you do: break the clock. No one notices the sound of one clock ticking, but two? You might start to wonder if you're really alone." He moves back towards the bed and crouches down, pulling the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

"Stay on the bed. Right in the middle. Don't put your hands or feet over the edge." He orders Reinette.

He peers underneath the bed before turning on the sonic screwdriver to scan. Suddenly something smacks the Doctor backwards, knocking the screwdriver out of his hand. Reinette gasps and the Doctor scrambles back to look underneath. I see the feet of something standing there, apparently wearing typical aristocratic French dress. The Doctor slowly resumes crouching, looking at Reinette with wide eyes.

"Reinette... Don't look round." He whispers to her

A figure is standing on the other side of the bed, wearing a creepy clown-like mask and leering down at Reinette, who looks terrified.

"You stay exactly where you are." The Doctor stands up to look straight at the figure. He glances back at Reinette, then at the figure, and then back at Reinette, discomforted by something.

"Hold still, let me look... He bends down and grasps Reinette's head between his hands, staring intently into her eyes with a disturbed expression before looking back at the figure.  
"You've been scanning her brain!" He pauses, looking once more into Reinette's eyes before standing up straight again. "What, you've crossed two galaxies and thousands of years just to scan a child's brain? What could there be in a little girl's mind worth blowing a hole in the universe?" "I don't understand... it wants me?" she looks round at the figure, but does not even flinch "You want me?" The figure's head twitches to one side and it speaks in a distinctly mechanical voice.

"Not yet. You are incomplete."

"'Incomplete'? What's that mean, incomplete?" demands The Doctor

The droid does not answer, but continues staring at Reinette. The Doctor stands up and speaks in a firm but slightly irritated voice, producing the sonic screwdriver and pointing it threateningly at the droid.

"You can answer her, you can answer me. What do you mean, "incomplete"?" The droid again does not answer, instead walking in jerky movements around the bed and facing the Doctor. The droid extends an arm and a menacing looking blade slides out near the Doctor's face. He tilts his head away.

"Monsieur, be careful!" begs Reinette

"Just a nightmare, Reinette, don't worry about it. Everyone has nightmares." The Doctor backs away, the droid pursuing. It swipes at the Doctor who jumps back, reaching the fireplace.

"Even monsters from under the bed have nightmares, don't you, monster?" The droid slashes at the Doctor again. He jumps aside, and the droid's blade hits the mantel, getting stuck.

"What do monsters have nightmares about?" asks Reinette

The droid struggles, the Doctor takes the opportunity to turn the fireplace around, and I scramble backwards, to avoid being tossed into Reinette's room.

"Me, ha!" I hear The Doctor's voice cackles


	25. Chapter 25

_The droid struggles, the Doctor takes the opportunity to turn the fireplace around, and I scramble backwards, to avoid being tossed into Reinette's room. "Me, ha!" I hear The Doctor's voice cackles_

"Doctor!" I gasp as the fireplace finishes turning the Doctor runs and grabs a gun-like object from the wall, using it to spray ice at the droid. It convulses in a last, vain attempt to free itself before freezing completely. "Excellent, ice gun!" Mickey gasps

The Doctor calmly throws the 'gun' to Rose, who catches it.

"Fire extinguisher." He winks at me, and as he pulls his sonic. He is still wearing the ring too.

"Where did that thing come from?" asks Rose

"Here." Answers The Doctor

"So why is it dressed like that?" demands Mickey

"Field trip to France, some kind of basic camouflage protocol; nice needlework! Shame about the face. He has walked back over to the droid, squinting at it. He pulls

off the wig to reveal its actual head: an ornate clockwork mechanism, covered with a clear plastic egg shape. The Doctor cannot help but admire it with near giddy

excitement.

"Oh, you are beautiful!"

Mickey Rose and I edge closer in curiosity, and the Doctor puts on his glasses to examine it more closely.

"No really, you are, you're gorgeous! Look at that! Space age clockwork, I love it! I've got chills! Listen, seriously, I mean this from the heart, and, by the way, count

those, it would be a crime, it would be an act of vandalism to disassemble you." He takes one last wistful look at the droid before holding up the sonic screwdriver.

"But that won't stop me." The droid creaks back into life and teleports away. Rose and Mickey blink and look around, and the Doctor stuffs the screwdriver

back into his pocket, walking swiftly back to the fireplace and preparing to go back to the other side.

"Short range teleport, can't have got far. Could still be on board."

"What is it?" I ask

"Don't go looking for it!" he orders us

"Where're you going?" demands Rose

"Back in a sec." He turns the fireplace, returning to Reinette's side. I go to the fireplace, waiting for it to finish turning so I can see through it again.

"He said not to look for it... " I hear Mickey say and I turn to see Rose hold the fire extinguisher, and smirk at him "Yeah, he did."

They look at each other for a few moments. Then Mickey smiles and grabs the other fire extinguisher on the wall.

"Now you're getting it!" laughs Rose and they both jog out of the room. I go to follow them when I hear The Doctor's voice from the fireplace. I rush to it and kneel by it.

The Doctor now stands by the fireplace in a plush bedroom of red and gold. He idly brushes a hand across the strings of a harp as a beautiful young woman, walks

into the room. She pauses, obviously recognizing the Doctor. He seems not to notice her until she clears her throat.

"Oh! Hello! He quickly puts away his glasses, clearly surprised and at least marginally distracted by her appearance. I frown.

"Um, I was just looking for Reinette. Uh, this is still her room, isn't it? I've been away, not sure how long." He stutters slightly and I glare at the young woman.

A voice from outside calls "Reinette! We're ready to go!"

"Go to the carriage, mother, I will join you there." The woman calls back and I realize with a start it is Reinette.

A marveling grin of realization spreads across the Doctor's face.

"It is customary, I think, to have an imaginary friend only during one's childhood. You are to be congratulated on your persistence." She smiles teasingly at him.

"Reinette...!" he gasps. Reinette smiles. "Well." He swallows, and looks her up and down. "Goodness, how you've grown."

"And you do not appear to have aged a single day. That is tremendously impolite of you." She smiles at him, walking closer

"Right... yes... sorry. Um... umm... umm.. listen, lovely to catch up, but er, better be off, eh? Don't want your mother finding you up here with a strange man, do

we?" he chokes out as she gets closer

"Strange? How could you be a stranger to me? I have known you since I was seven years old."

"Yeah... I suppose you have.: he lets out a small laugh "I came the quick route."

Reinette touches the Doctor's cheek, examining him. His eyes widen. My chest tightens with race and I frantically search for the button, which will send me over there to wring his neck.

"Well, you seem to be flesh and blood, at any rate, but this is absurd. Reason tells me you cannot be real." She says softly, and I pay attention again

"Oh, pfft... You never want to listen to reason..." he murmurs

"Mademoiselle! Your mother grows impatient." A man's voice calls

 _Please leave with the other man!_ I silently beg her

"A moment!" Reinette calls back, to my disappointment

She looks back at the Doctor. "So many questions. So little time."

She pulls the Doctor towards her and kisses him passionately on the lips. They stumble backwards into the mantelpiece, the Doctor starting to kiss her back. I

pound of the fireplace wall, tears brimming in my eyes with fury.

"Mademoiselle Poisson!" the man is closer now, still calling her

Reinette breaks the kiss and runs to the open door, grabbing a purse from her dressing table as she goes, without so much as a backward glance. The Doctor

watches her, awestruck, as she leaves. The servant comes to the door but stops dead as he notices the Doctor

"Poisson?" he gasps "Reinette Poisson?

The servant looked bemused by the Doctor's presence.

"No... no, no, no, no, no way, Reinette Poisson?!" he runs right up to the manservant, as though interrogating him but not letting him get a word in "Later Madame

Etioles? Later still mistress of Louis the Fifteenth, uncrowned Queen of France?" he runs back towards the fireplace "Actress, artist, musician, dancer, courtesan?

Fantastic gardener!" he laughs.

"Who the hell are you?" Demands the servant

The Doctor reaches for the fireplace and finds the trigger back to the ship.

"I'm the Doctor. And I just snogged Madame de Pompadour!"

The fireplace revolves again, taking the Doctor with it as he laughs manically. I turn and run down the hall where Rose and Mickey went, suppressing tears of fury.

I hear The Doctor's voice echo

"Rose!" he calls "Mickey?"

I continue running.

I finally find them.

"Rose." I say and they jump, both aiming their "guns" at me and Mickey suppressing a scream. They relax instantly after recognizing me.

"Wolfe." Sighs Rose "You scared us."

"Sorry" I smirk slightly


	26. Chapter 26

_They relax instantly after recognising me. "Wolfe." Sighs Rose "You scared us." "Sorry" I smirk slightly_

Mickey, Rose and I walk down a corridor holding their guns. I follow a little behind, listening to their conversation.  
"Maybe it wasn't a real heart."

"Course it was a real heart." Sighs Rose

"Is this like normal for you? Is this an average day?" he asks,

"Life with the Doctor, Mickey - no more average days."

We stop by a window with a view into a luxurious 18th century room.

"It's France again. We can see France."

"I think we're looking through a mirror." I say

The room's doors open, and a lavished man with two servants enters.

"Blimey, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" snorts Mickey

"King of France." The Doctor appears behind us, making us jump.

"Oh, here's trouble. What you been up to?" Rose scolds

"Oh, this and that. Became the imaginary friend of a future French aristocrat... picked a fight with a clockwork man..." I glare at his deliberate exclusion of the kiss.

A horse whinnies from around the corner.

"Oh, and I met a horse." He adds

The horse trots into view.

"What's a horse doing on a spaceship?" scoffs Mickey

"Mickey, what's pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective." The Doctor scolds, looking through the window. "See these? They're all over the place. On every deck. Gateways to history. But not just any old history..." He places a finger on the glass as Reinette enters the room. "Hers. Time window... deliberately arranged along the life of one particular woman. A spaceship from the fifty-first century stalking a woman from the eighteenth. Why?"

"Who is she?" asks Rose

"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to her friends as Reinette. One of the most accomplished women who ever lived." I explain.

"Very good," praises The Doctor, and I look away from him

"So has she got plans of being the Queen, then?" Rose asks

"No, he's already got a Queen. She's got plans of being his mistress."

"Oh, I get it. Camilla." Rose says and she and Mickey laugh.

"I think this is the night they met. The night of the Yew Tree ball. In no time at flat, she'll get herself established as his official mistress, with her own rooms at the palace... even her own title, Madame de Pompadour." Reinette stands before the mirror, preening herself.

"Queen must have loved her... " Rose snorts

"Oh, she did." Answers the Doctor, misunderstanding Rose's sarcasm again. "They get on very well."

"The King's wife and the King's girlfriend?" Mickey asks, aghast

"France. It's a different planet." There comes the telltale ticking sounds. The Doctor spots that the face of the clock on the mantelpiece has been shattered. Reinette hears the ticking click too and turns, eyes wide with fear.

"How long have you been standing there?"

There is a figure standing in the corner of the room, facing the wall. "Show yourself!" commands Reinette

The figure turns suddenly and reveals itself to be one of the clockwork droids. It starts to advance.

The Doctor grabs the fire extinguisher from Mickey and swings the mirror around so he can step back into Reinette's world. I leap after him,a nd so do Rose and Mickey.

"Hello, Reinette. Hasn't time flown?" The Doctor crows and we watch through the mirror as Reinette cries "Fireplace man!"

The Doctor steps past her and sprays the droid with the fire extinguisher until it is immobile. He throws the extinguisher to me. The droid starts to click and whirr loudly.

"What's it doing?" Mickey asks

"Switching back on. Melting the ice." Answers the Doctor

"And then what?" Rose asks

"Then it kills everyone in the room." The clockwork droid's arm shoots out towards the Doctor's throat, he jumps back and backs towards Reinette. "Focuses the mind, doesn't it?" he chuckles

"Who are you? Identify yourself." The Doctor orders the droid. The droid cocks its head but does not answer.

"Order it to answer me." The Doctor tells Reinette

"Why should it listen to me?"

"I don't know. It did when you were a child." He replies "Let's see if you've still got it."

"Answer his question. Answer any and all questions put to you." She commands the Droid

The droid lowers its arm.

"I am repair droid seven." It responds

"So what happened to the ship, then? There was a lot of damage." The Doctor says

"Ion storm, eighty two percent systems failure." It answers

"That ship hasn't moved in over a year. What's taken you so long?" The Doctor questions

"We did not have the parts." It responds

"Always comes down to that, doesn't it? The parts." Mickey laughs

"What's happened to the crew, where are they?" Demands The Doctor

"We did not have the parts." The droid answers

"There should have been over fifty people on your ship. Where did they go?" The Doctor demands again

"We did not have the parts!" the droid responds, frantic

"Fifty people don't just disappear! Where...?" He freezes. "Oh. You didn't have the parts, so you used the crew."

"The crew?" Mickey gasps

"We found a camera with an eye in it... and there was a heart... wired in to machinery." Rose tells the Doctor

"It was just what it was programmed to. Repairing the ship any way it can, with whatever it could find. No-one told it the crew weren't on the menu. What did you say the flight deck smelt of?"

"Someone cooking..." whispers Rose

"Flesh plus heat. Barbeque." The Doctor winces

Reinette looks slightly sick.

"But what are you doing here? You've opened up time windows, that takes colossal energy. Why come here, you could have gone to your repair yard. Instead you come to eighteenth century France? Why?" The Doctor asks the Droid

"One more part is required." The Droid's head jerks towards Reinette. The Doctor, Rose and Mickey stare at her.

"Then why haven't you taken it?" The Doctor asks

"She is incomplete." It responds

"What... so, that's the plan then? Just keep opening up more and more time windows, scanning her brain, checking to see if she's "done yet"?" demands The Doctor

"Why her?" I ask. The Doctor turns to me, surprised at the abruptness of this question. "You've got all of history to choose from, why specifically her?"

"We are the same." The droid answers

"We are not the same, we are in no sense the same!" gasps Reinette

"We are the same." It replies

"Get out of here! Get out of here this instant!" Reinette orders it, angry

"Reinette, no." The Doctor cries but it's too late. The Droid activates a teleport and disappears.

"It's back on the ship. Rose, take Mickey and Arthur, get after it. Follow it, don't approach it, just watch what it does." Orders The Doctor

"Arthur?" Rose asks

"Good name for a horse." Shrugs the Doctor

"No, you're not keeping the horse!" Rose responds, exasperated

"I let you keep Mickey! Now go, go, go!" The Doctor smirks

Mickey and Rose run back through the mirror portal. The Doctor closes it behind them and turns back to Reinette. I remain where I am, armed with the fire extinguisher

"Wolfe you ought to follow Rose. Reinette, you're going to have to trust me. I need to find out what they're looking for, there's only one way I can do that. Won't hurt a bit." Reinette nods her assent and the Doctor places his fingers on her temples and closes his eyes. Reinette also closes hers.

"Fireplace man... you are inside my mind. I turn and leave through the mirror, annoyed.


	27. Chapter 27

_"Fireplace man... you are inside my mind. I turn and leave through the mirror, annoyed._

I catch sight of Mickey and Rose and follow them, picking up their conversation.

Mickey gives a short laugh.

"So, that Doctor, eh?" Mickey says, suggestively

"What are you talking about?" asks Rose, deliberately ignorant

"Well! Madame de Pompadour. Sarah Jane Smith. Cleopatra." He smirks

"Cleopatra, he mentioned her once!" Rose yells, pissed off

"Yeah, but he called her "Cleo"." Mickey smirks at her and I open my mouth to tell him off when a droid appears behind Mickey

"Mickey!" shrieks Rose. I dive for cover in a small compartment as another appears. It clutches him by the neck as another comes up behind Rose, grabbing her before she can use her weapon. Part of its arm extends, with two vicious needles on the end, which points at Rose's neck. The one behind Mickey does the same. The needles are pushed in, and Mickey and Rose slump unconscious to the floor. I follow silently as they drag them down the corridors of the ship. I watch as they take them into a large room and shackle them to tables. I wait and watch for hours until Rose's eyes flutter open. She slowly focuses on one of the clockwork droids, staring down at her.

"What's going on?" she asks it "Doctor?" she calls

Mickey is manacled onto another at the other side of the room.

"Rose? They're gonna chop us up. Just like the crew, they're gonna chop us up and stick us all over their stupid spaceship. And where's the Doctor? Where's the precious Doctor now? He's been gone for flipping hours, that's where he is!" Cries Mickey

"You are compatible." The droid informs Rose.

"Well... you... you might wanna think about that. You really, really might because... me and Mickey... we didn't come here alone, oh no! And trust me, you wouldn't wanna mess with our designated driver." Rose tries to buy herself some time, while I catch sight of a large pipe. I start crawling towards it while the droid thrusts a sharp and lethal looking tool in front of Rose's face. Rose stares at it apprehensively. I grab the pipe and start crawling back, ready to whack the droid with it as Rose continues to speak "Ever heard of the Daleks? Remember them? They had a name for our friend. They had myths about him, and a name. They called him the..." In the distance, there is a loud banging and the sound of someone singing drunkenly.

"I could've danced all night, I could've danced all night..." The Doctor's drunken voice echoes around us

"They called him the... they called him the... the..." Rose continues

The Doctor staggers into the room, dancing with an imaginary partner, wearing a pair of sunglasses and a tie around his head. "And still have begged for moooore... I could've spread my wings and done a thou... have you met the French?" the Doctor wails

Mickey looks bemused and Rose furious

"My... god, they know how to party." Laughs The Doctor

"Oh, look at what the cat dragged in. The Oncoming Storm." Rose snarls

"Oh, you sound just like your mother." The Doctor says, distastefully

"What've you been doing? Where've you been?" She demands

"Well... among other things, I think just invented the banana daiquiri a few centuries early." Rose lies back, exasperated. "Do you know, they've never even seen a banana before!" He leans over her. "Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good." He spots the droids. "Oh ho ho ho ho, brilliant. It's you! You're my favourite, you are, you are the best! Do you know why? 'Cause you're so thick. You're Mister Thick Thick Thickity Thick Face from Thicktown, Thickania." He chuckles, and adds as an afterthought "And so's your dad."

He strolls away.

"Do you know what they were scanning Reinette's brain for?" He sniggers  
"Her milometer. They wanna know how old she is. Know why? 'Cause this ship is thirty-seven years old. And they think that when Reinette is thirty-seven, when she's "complete", then her brain will be compatible. So, that's what you're missing, isn't it?" He stares one of the droids mockingly in the face. "Hmm? Command circuit. Your computer. Your ship needs a brain. And for some reason, God knows what, only the brain of Madame de Pompadour will do."

"The brain is compatible." The Droid informs him

"Compatible?" He approaches the droid "If you believe that, you probably believe this is a glass of wine." He removes the droid's mask and pours the 'wine' into the clockwork inside the head of the droid. He replaces the mask and pats it on the head. The droid wind downs. Rose leans back in relief.

"Multigrain anti-oil. If it moves, it doesn't." The Doctor says, suddenly sober

A droid from the corner of the room begins to advance, but the Doctor quickly deactivates it using a nearby lever. "Right, you two, that's enough lying about... He releases Rose and Mickey quickly with the sonic screwdriver, and they slide down the tables onto the floor.

"Where's Wolfe?"

"Here!" I say, crawling out of my hiding spot, but not releasing my weapon of choice.

"Great! Now, time we got the rest of the ship turned off.

"Are those things safe?" Mickey asks

"Yep. Safe. Safe and thick. Way I like them." The Doctor says, pulling the tie down and pushing the sunglasses up "Okay, all the time windows are controlled from here. I need to close them all down." He feels his pockets  
"Zeus plugs. Where are my Zeus plugs?" He looks around for them "I had them a minute ago, I was using them as castanets.

"Why didn't they just open a time window to when she was thirty-seven?" I ask the Doctor

"With the amount of damage to these circuits, they'll be lucky to hit the right century. Trial and error after that." Explains the Doctor as he tries to operate the computer. "The windows aren't closing. Why won't they close?" There is an ominous pinging sound.

"What's that?" Rose asks

"I don't know... incoming message?" shrugs The Doctor

"From who?" demands Mickey

"Report from the field... one of them must still be out there with Reinette! That's why I can't close the windows, there's an override!" he cries

Behind him, one of the clockwork droids springs to life with a whirring sound. Rose gasps. The droid expells the "wine" the Doctor poured into its mechanics over the Doctor's shoe. "Well, that was a bit clever. The rest of the droids spring to life, filling the room with ticking.  
"Right... many things about this are not good." The pinging sounds again. "Message from one of your little friends? Anything interesting?" tHe Doctor asks

"She is complete. It begins." Answers a droid. They teleport out.

"What's happening?" demands Rose

"One of them must've found the right time window, and now it's time to send in the troops. And this time they're bringing back her head." Explains the Doctor, worried. "Okay here is what we need to do."

Rose and I enter Reinette's room through the mirror.

"Madame de Pompadour..." Rose starts and Reinette gasps

"Please, don't scream or anything, we haven't got a lot of time." I quickly say.

Rose and I sit at the small tea table across from Reinette in her room.

"We've come to warn you that they'll be here in five years." Rose says

"Five years?" Says Reinette

"Some time after your thirty-seventh birthday. I um... I can't give you an exact date. It's a bit random. But they're coming. It's gonna happen. In a way, for us, it's already happening. I'm sorry, it's hard to explain. The Doctor does this better." Rose explains

"Then be exact, and I will be attentive."" Reinette says

"There isn't time." I say, apologetically

"There are five years." Reinette responds, confused

"For you. We haven't got five minutes." I tell her

"Then also be concise." Reinette takes a seat opposite Rose, ready to listen.

"Erm... there's say, um... a... a... a vessel. A ship. A sort of sky ship. And it's full of... well, you. Different bits of your life in different rooms, all jumbled up. I told you it was complicated, sorry." Winces Rose

"There is a vessel in your world... where the days of my life are pressed together like the chapters of a book so that he may step from one to the other without increase of age... while I, weary traveller... must always take the slower path?" She repeats back to us

"He was right about you..." I whisper, acknowledging just how intelligent Reinette is.

"So, in five years these creatures will return. What can be done?" she asks

"The Doctor says keep them talking. They're kind of programmed to respond to you now. You won't be able to stop them, but you might be able to delay them a bit." Rose tells her

"Until?"

"Until the Doctor can get there."

"He's coming, then?"

"He promises." I say

"But he cannot... make his promises in person?" she looks sad, and I swallow my anger

"He'll be there when you need him. That's the way it's gotta be."

"It's the way it's always been. The monsters and the Doctor. It seems you cannot have one without the other."

"Tell me about it." Rose chuckles

"The thing is... you weren't supposed to have either. Those creatures are messing with history. None of this was ever supposed to happen to you." I tell her

"Supposed to happen? What does that mean? It happened, child. And I would not have it any other way. One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel." She angrily says to me. She stands with her back to Rose and I, facing the fireplace.

"Rose? Wolfe?" Mickey calls us. Reinette and Rose turn. Mickey appears from behind a tapestry just outside the room.

"Rose!" Rose rushes to meet him. "The time window when she's thirty-seven. We found it. Right under our noses." He stops as Reinette pauses. She looks at the window behind the tapestry and makes for it

"No, you can't go in there, the Doctor will get mad…" But Reinette has already walked through onto the spaceship. She looks at her surroundings, lost and confused, and evidently slightly scared. We can only watch her. "So, this is his world." We hear screaming and chaos in the distance. "What was that?" she asks us

"The time window, the Doctor fixed an audio link." Winces Mickey

"Those screams... is that my future?" Reinette asks

"Yeah... I'm sorry." Winces Rose

"Then I must take the slower path." She sighs

Reinette's voice sounds in the distance from the time window. "Are you there? Can you hear me? I need you now, you promised. The clock on the mantel is broken. It is time."

"That's my voice." Reinette gasps

"Rose, come on, we've gotta go. There's... there's a problem." Mickey begs

"Give me a moment." She says and Mickey rushes away but Rose stays and approaches Reinette, concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"No. I'm very afraid. But you and I both know, don't we, Rose? The Doctor is worth the monsters." Reinette answers and Rose nods. Reinette walks back through the tapestry into her world.


	28. Chapter 28

_Reinette walks back through the tapestry into her world._

The Doctor works frantically as Rose and I join him and Mickey at the time window.

"You found it, then?" I ask

"They knew I was coming. They blocked it off." The Doctor says

One of the droids has Reinette by the arm as it leads her roughly away. "Where are we going?" she demands

"The teleport has limited range. We must have proximity to the time portal." The droid answers

"Your words mean nothing. You are nothing." Snarls Reinette

Behind her, two more droids have King Louis between them.

"I don't get it. How come they got in there?" Asks Rose, watching through the portal.

"They teleported - you saw them. As long as the ship and the ballroom are linked, their short-range teleports will do the trick." Answers The Doctor.

"Well, we'll go in the Tardis!" Rose says

"We can't use the TARDIS, we're part of events now." Explains The Doctor.

"Well, can't we just smash through it?" Mickey asks

"Hyperplex this side, plate glass the other. We need a truck." The Doctor informs him

"We don't have a truck." Mickey says

"I know we don't have a truck!" He yells at Mickey

"Well, we've gotta try something!" yells Rose

"No, smash the glass, smash the time window, they'd be no way back." The Doctor explains.

Rose stares at him. I turn to watch Reinette through the portal.

"Can everyone just calm down? Please. Such a commotion. Such distressing noise. Kindly remember that is Versailles. This is the Royal Court. And we are French." She turns to the droids. "I have made a decision. And my decision is "no", I shall not be going with you today. I have seen your world, and I have no desire to set foot there again."

"We do not require your feet." The droid answers

Two droids come up on either side of Reinette and push her to her knees. They point their maiming instruments at her neck. The 'chief' droid approaches her and also points his weapon at her. Reinette looks up at him.  
"You think I fear you. But I do not fear you, even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured," she lowers her voice to a whisper "so will yours."

"DOCTOR NO!" I hear Rose shriek, and above me, Arthur's hooves go flying and the Doctor crashes into the mirror riding Arthur. A concrete wall replaces the mirror and silence is heard.

Rose stands before it.

"What happened? Where did the time window go? How's he gonna get back?" Mickey asks

Rose is still. She does not answer. She's just staring at the remains of the time window. A single tear runs down her cheek.

It's been an hour and Rose has not moved.

Now Mickey is talking to himself as he paces

"We can't fly the Tardis without him. How's he gonna get back?"

Rose raises her head and looks up at the stars overhead. Then she silently turns and walks away, back through the halls of the ship.

"Rose?" Mickey calls after her, but she doesn't respond. She just keeps walking. I follow her and she silently enters the Tardis, shutting the door behind her.

I can hear her broken sobs from outside, and I hear the sound of her back sliding down the door and crumpling inside the Tardis.

I lean my back against the Tardis door, and place my face in my hands, tears brimming in my eyes.

 _Please let him come home._

I look up when I hear a familiar whoop of excitement. I leap to my feet as the Doctor comes into view. The Tardis door opens and Rose flies out, throwing herself at the Doctor. The Doctor and Rose hug tightly.

"How long did you wait?" he asks

"Five and a half hours!" Rose answers, giddy with relief

"Right, always wait five and a half hours." He releases Rose and he makes to hug Mickey, changes his mind and shakes his hand instead. Then he kneels and scoops me into a tight hug.

"Where've you been?" I demand

"Explain later. Into the TARDIS, be with you in a sec." He rushes away. Mickey goes into the TARDIS without hesitation, but Rose and I watch the Doctor go back. We hear the sound of the Doctor's voice calling again "Reinette?"

I hear the sound of the fireplace revolving and we wait, and a few minutes later, it turns again. I wait with dread as the Doctor returns, only to return alone. We follow The Doctor into the Tardis. The Doctor closes the door of the Tardis wearily behind him and walks slowly up to the console.

"Why her?" Rose asks. She and Mickey are standing by the console.  
"Why did they think they could fix the ship with the head of Madame de Pompadour?"

"We'll probably never know. There was massive damage in the computer memory base. Probably got confused." He goes to the controls. "The Tardis can close down the time windows now the droids are gone. Should stop it causing any more trouble." He taps on the computer, acting for the world as if everything is okay. But we know there's something wrong. After a moment of watching him I ask "Are you all right?"

The Doctor looks up at me "I'm always all right." He smiles briefly, and fiddles with the controls again. We still watch him, aware that he's keeping something to himself.

"Fine. Keep it to yourself then." Rose snarls, and storms away.

The Doctor looks up in surprise as the Tardis begins to dematerialize with its familiar wheezing noise.

"You can be oblivious." Mickey shakes his head and follows her.

The Doctor looks at me, confused

"Doctor." I sigh "You may pride yourself on your knowledge, and your energy, and talent, but you are truly terrible at understanding humans and their emotions." I stay silent for a moment before I whisper "You should never have kissed her." Then I turn and walk away, leaving the Doctor alone in the console room.

I am sitting in my room, trying to convince the Tardis to make my window bigger so I can see more out of it, when the door opens.

I turn and to my surprise it's Mickey.

"Hey." He says, awkwardly

"Hey." I respond, a little surprised.

"Listen." He swallows, "I need you to talk to Rose. I know what you showed me and all, and I trust you, but I still love her, and I am still friends with her and she's so mad at the Doctor and I don't want her to do anything she'll regret. I'm gonna talk to the Doctor but Rose refuses to come out of her room and I can hear her crying." He winces

"Alright." I answer, getting off my bed and following Mickey down the hallway to Rose's room.

Mickey leaves and I knock on her door.

"Go away!" Rose's voice yells

"Rose? It's me." I say, gently, and there is a pause, before the door unlocks.

Before I know what's happening, Rose yanks me in by my skirt and slams the door behind me.

She holds onto me like a lifeline, in silence. I shift my weight slightly and my hand accidentally brushes her wrist. I am bombarded with so much pain and hurt it takes my breath away.

I can feel the loss of trust, which makes my head spin and stomach ache.

"Rose." I whisper, but she cuts me off

"You were watching him. Every time he went into the bloody otherworld. You were watching him. Am I just another? Am I just another stupid hapless girl who fell for his looks and charm and adventure and he's going to leave me like all the rest? Like his beloved _Cleo_ and _Sarah_ and _Reinette_?" she sobs into my shoulder and I wince, replaying The Doctor's kiss with Reinette in my head.

I forgot that I was sharing a link with her when this thought passed through my head.

Her body went ridged and I quickly pulled away from her, but the damage had been done.

I scramble from her lap as she collapses in sobs, heartbroken.

Rushing from the room, I run to find the only other person who could possibly help her.

I burst into the console room, mid fight between The Doctor and Mickey

"Listen, _Rickey_ , I am never going to leave Rose behind, not her, never her. _You_ though I could dump from this ship right now and never think twice! Or I-"

"Doctor!" I yell, and he freezes, looking at me. I walk over to him and motion like I want to whisper something in his ear. When he kneels in front of me, I slap him as hard as I can.

He reels back, holding his cheek in shock and surprise.

"She knows Doctor." I tell him and he looks at me, bewildered. "She knows now that she's expendable. And so do I." I place my hand on his forehead and show him his kiss with Reinette, and the way he treated her, and his affection for Sarah Jane. I showed him all of the sad, lonely looks Rose has been giving him and finally, I showed him the images of Rose in her room, just now. I pull away, and he looks drained.

"She's not expendable." He whispers to me, looking lost

"Then prove it." I hiss in his face.

He gets up and runs down the hall, with Mickey and I trailing to Rose's room.

I left the door open when I left and he enters it, swiftly. Mickey and I watch from the doorway.

He kneels beside Rose and gently picks her up. She fights him as soon as she realizes who it is.

"Rose, please Rose. Rose please." The Doctor says and she continues struggling in his grip.

"Why should I? Just get on with it and dump me back on my mother's doorstep yeah? I thought you and me and Wolfe were something bigger like- I don't know- a family or something- a really distorted family that gets in too much danger with a nutty Uncle and I don't know what else but you…you just can't let yourself care for more than a moment because you're a coward! I hate you!" she punctuates this remark with a slap to his face that causes him to recoil slightly "You're too afraid to believe that I might really want to give up everything to stay with you because one day I'm gonna die! Everyone dies Doctor! You of all people should know that! Now look at what you've done! You've stolen Sarah Jane's chance at a husband and kids, you've ruined Madame De Pompadour's life and you've crushed my trust in you, all because you are afraid to get to close. Too afraid to let anyone see inside your heart of stone and mind of ice." She continues to fight him, her hands flying in all directions, with her tears.

Finally, she relaxes, exhausted from her speech and fighting him.

"Rose, I'm sorry." He says, lamely.

"Go away. Take me home." She says, avoiding his gaze.

"Rose." He says her name almost reverently.

 _Kiss her you idiot_ I think to myself, but instead, he says "I want you to put your hands on either side of my head."

"Why should I?" she demands

He takes her hands and puts them on either side of his face and he shuts his eyes.

Her eyes widen at something I can't see.

"Doctor." She whispers, "I see in your head."

I smile.

"Yes, Rose. I have never let anyone do this before. I am putting more trust in you than anyone else I've ever met. This is the best way I can think to say I'm sorry." The Doctor answers.

Rose's hands move slightly, her thumb moving just enough to caress his cheekbone slightly as she shuts her eyes.

In silence for a few more minutes I watch them, when Rose opens her eyes again, and so does the Doctor.

Her eyes are filled with tears.

"Was that too much?" he whispers, looking terrified.

"No. Thank you." She answers, wrapping her arms around him, her hands sliding from his face to around his neck and burying her face into his jacket.

He places his cheek on the top of her head, his arms sliding around her waist.

I tug Mickey's jacket and lead him away. It's better to leave them alone for a little bit.

An hour later, I remember how hungry I am and I can't remember the last time I ate. I think it was breakfast at Sarah Jane's over a day ago.

I walk to the Tardis kitchen and start making the only thing I know how- pancakes.

I make three times for batter than the original recipe called for and filled the batter with bananas. I got a chair and stood on it in order to reach the griddle. I flipped pancake after pancake after pancake until I had over 30 on various plates about the kitchen.

Then, I set the table for Mickey, Rose, the Doctor and I.  
"Dinner!" I called out the door of the kitchen, and second slater Mickey appeared at the door.

"Thank God, I am bloody starving!" He smiles

"Get used to it. Missing meals is part of life with The Doctor." I smile at him

He sits down and starts piling his plates with banana pancakes.

"Wait for Rose and the Doctor." I tell him and he groans

After another moment, I walk down the hall to peek in Rose's door.

No one is there. I frown, and look in the Doctor's room, but they aren't there either.

I paused in the hall when very faintly, I heard music playing. Following the noise, I walked into a large room where the Doctor and Rose were dancing.

"Remember back when I first found out you could dance?" Laughs Rose, slightly breathless as the Doctor twirled her around

"Yes." The Doctor smiles as he pulls her back to him

"You were so jealous of Jack!" She giggles as they move around the room.

"I was not!" he responds, falsely offended as he dips her.

"Yes you were!" she chuckles as he swings her back up.

"Sorry to bother you guys but it's dinner time. I made Banana pancakes!" I yell over the music.

They turn to look at me, their gazes light with happiness "Alright!" Rose grins, while The Doctor points his sonic screwdriver at the radio and it turns off. They follow me to the kitchen.

We sit at the table and immediately start to scarf down the pancakes.

After dinner we head to the console room, where we are hanging out and Mickey, Rose and the Doctor are telling stories. The Doctor and Rose are both slumped in chairs next to each other while Mickey stands by the console. They are relating a story to Mickey.

"And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes? Do you remember? The way she looked at you! And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!"

"I thought I was gonna get frazzled!" Laughs Rose

"Yeah! One minute she's standing there, and the next minute, rawwwh!" He and Rose mimic fire coming out of their mouths, killing themselves laughing. Mickey nods and smiles, not really following.

"Yeah... where... where was that, then? What happened?" Mickey asks

"Oh, it was on this um... uh, this uh... planet thing, asteroid. It's a long story, you had to be there. Um... what're you doing that for?"

Mickey has his finger on a button on the console.

"'Cos you told me to..." Mickey says

"When was that...?" the Doctor asks

"About half an hour ago..." Mickey says, annoyed

"Um. You can let go now." The Doctor grins

Mickey lets go. Rose sniggers

"Well, how long's it been since I could've stopped?" demands Mickey

"Ten minutes? Twenty? ... Twenty-nine?" The Doctor laughs along with Rose and I

"You just forgot me!" cries Mickey

"No, no, no! I was just... I was just... I was calibrating. I was just... no, I know exactly what I'm doing." The Doctor informs him

And then the TARDIS console explodes. Violently. Sparks and flames fly everywhere. The Doctor scrambles to his feet and frantically tries to operate the console.

"What's happened?" Demands Rose

"The time vortex is gone! That's impossible, it's just gone!" cries The Doctor

"What?" I cry

"Brace yourself! We're gonna crash!" The Doctor yells.

I look around and grab the nearest bar. I catch sight of Mickey grabbing a chair and Rose a handle on the wall. We crash, and all of us are sent flying. As we fly across the space, my vision is taken up by the sight of fire, everywhere, and a strange man, Rose the Doctor and I are running to a ladder, hanging from a zeppelin. The man then the Doctor then me then rose climbs the ladder, but a man made of steel starts trying to attack Rose. She cuts the rope using her pocket knife and she and the metal man fall into the abyss as the Doctor and I scream.

A Gas mask hits me on the head, having fallen from the ceiling, sparks fly everywhere and we all tumble to the floor, and I am shaken from my vision. All the light in the TARDIS has gone out and it is very dark.


	29. Chapter 29

_All the light in the TARDIS has gone out and it is very dark._

"Everyone all right? Rose, Wolfe, Mickey?" The Doctor calls, rushing over to Rose, helping her up.

"I'm fine. I'm okay, sorry." Mickey says, getting up.

"Doctor I am fine but I am stuck." I say to him, and he hurries over to tug me out from where I was pinned beneath a chunk of the Tardis. My head is still swirling with my dream. Once I was free I joined Rose and The Doctor looks up at the rotor and the console.

"She's dead." The Doctor says

There is a clicking as the engines cool down. Smoke rises from the console.

"The Tardis is dead." He whispers. He walks slowly around the console. "You can fix it?" Rose says, in disbelief

"There's nothing to fix. She's perished." The Doctor says, dully. He pulls a lever back and forth fruitlessly. "The last TARDIS in the universe... extinct."

"We can get help, yeah?" I try

"Where from?" The Doctor answers, sadly

"Well, we've landed, we've gotta be somewhere." I point out

"We fell out of the vortex, through the void, into nothingness. We're in some sort of no-place... the silent realm... the lost dimension..." The Doctor rambles

"Otherwise known as London!" Mickey laughs and steps out of the door. We hurry after him.

"London, England, Earth. Hold on..." He jumps down off the low wall and picks a paper out of a dustbin and looks at the cover.

"First of February this year, not exactly far-flung, is it?" Rose jumps down and looks over his shoulder. The Doctor jumps down, looking around

"So, this is London." He then turns to help me down.

"Yep." Mickey says

"Your city." The Doctor says

"That's the one." Mickey grins

"Just as we left it."

"Bang on."

"and that includes the zeppelins?" double checks The Doctor

Rose and Mickey look up at him, then follow his gaze and turn around, sure enough, the sky is full of zeppelins.

"What the hell...?" mutters Rose

"That's beautiful." Smiles The Doctor

"Okay. So, it's London with a big international zeppelin festival." Mickey concludes

"This is not your world." The Doctor says

"But if the date's the same... it's parallel, right? Am I right? Like a parallel Earth where they've got Zeppelins, am I right? I'm right, aren't I?" Mickey says

"Must be." Answers the Doctor

"So, a parallel world where..." Rose says

"Oh, come on. You see it on films. Like an alternative to our world were everything's the same but a little bit different, like... I dunno - traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected..."

"And he's still alive..."Rose says. She gazing at a poster right front of them. It depicts a man, Pete Tyler, a successful businessman, holding a bottle of Vitex. "A parallel world and my dad's still alive..."

She makes towards the poster. The Doctor and Mickey follow.

"Don't look at it, Rose. Don't even think about it. This is not your world." "But he's my dad... and..." She touches the poster, the picture of Pete springs to life for a moment, says "trust me on this", winks and gives the thumbs up. Rose steps back.

"Oh, that's weird. But he's real!"

"Trust me on this." The poster says again

"He's a success! He was always planning these daft little schemes, health-food drinks and stuff. Everyone said they were useless. But he did it." The Doctor suddenly grasps Rose by the shoulders and bends slightly to look into her eyes. "Rose, if you've ever trusted me, then listen to me now." Rose glances back at the poster. "Stop looking at it!" Rose reluctantly meets the Doctor's eyes again. "Your father's dead. He died when you were six months old. That is not your Pete. That is A Pete. For all we know, he's got his own Jackie, his own Rose. His own daughter who is someone else, but not you." Rose's eyes start to wander back to the poster, but she tries to stop herself. "You can't see him. Not ever." Rose gives a tiny nod. Mickey touches her shoulder comfortingly. The poster of Pete says 'trust me on this' repeatedly.

"Listen, I am going to go back in the Tardis and try to see if I can fix her. Mickey, Wolfe, Rose, stay together and don't wander too far." The Doctor orders before heading back to the Tardis. Rose looks at Mickey and I, eyes begging

"Please. Mickey, Wolfe you know what it's like to not have a parent or two. Mickey, your Grandmum- Maybe she's still alive in this world? Please, you have to let me go find him." Rose says, and I glance at Mickey, who's caving.

"Look, I'll go and keep him talking, before I leave, give you a chance to go off on your own. But listen, I know he'll chase after you so there's only so much I can do." Mickey says

"Thank you." Smiles Rose giving him a hug.

"I'm going with you. I promise I won't complain or anything, but I want to come with you." I say to Rose

"Of course. Come on." She takes my hand and we head off down the Thames embankment. I look over my shoulder and see Mickey vanish into the Tardis.

After walking maybe a mile, we sit down on a bench. Rose is clearly deep in thought. The zeppelins are chugging softly in the sky and she looks up at them. One flies right over our heads, low in the sky. Her phone bleeps and she takes it out of her pocket. The message on the screen says "welcome - free trial period". She selects, and footage of the news plays.

"…And it's good news for Great Britain as John Lumic returns to the country of his birth. Mr Lumic, the inventor of high-content metal, has denied allegations of ill health. "We're all flesh and blood, but the brain is what makes us human. And my mind is more creative than ever." With shares in Cybus Industries doubling in price, Mr Lumic..."

Rose glances up at the zeppelin, realizing who must be inside it.

I sit with Rose in silence as she searches for the name "Peter Tyler" on the Cybus Network which she now has on her phone.

"um, Rose?" I hiss, as I catch sight of the Doctor and Mickey walking towards us.

"Wolfe not now."

"But-"

"There you are! You all right? No applause, I fixed it!" The Doctor proudly announces to us, holding up a greenish diamond. "Twenty-four hours, then we're flying back to reality." He sits down on the bench and holds the power cell up to show us. Rose doesn't even glance at it, lost in her own thoughts. His grin fades, noticing the mobile  
"What is it?" he asks

"My phone connected. There's this... Cybus Network, it finds your phone. It gave me Internet access." She says

"Rose, whatever it says, this is the wrong world." He tries to comfort her

"I don't exist." She whispers

"What do you mean?" I ask

"There's no Rose Tyler. I was never born. There's Pete, my dad, and Jackie... he still married mum... but they never had kids."

"Give me that phone." The Doctor says, trying to snatch the mobile

Rose pulls it away from his grasp.

"They're rich. They've got a house and cars, and everything they want." She pauses, thinking "But they haven't got me." She sounds close to tears. She stands, walking away from bench. I follow her. Then she turns to face the Doctor "I've gotta see him."

"You can't." The Doctor replies, following her

"I just wanna see him."

"I can't let you!"

"You just said twenty-four hours!" She yells at him

"You can't become their daughter, that's not the way it works! Mickey, tell her."

"Twenty-four hours, yeah?" Mickey says, backing away from The Doctor.  
"Where're you going?" The Doctor asks him, bewildered

"Well, I can do what I want!" Mickey smirks

Rose starts walking backwards in the opposite direction "I've got the address and everything." She explains

The Doctor looks from one to the other frantically "Stay where you are, both of you! Rose, come back here! Mickey, come back here right now! Wait Wolfe! Where are you going?"

"I just wanna see him." Rose says, begging

"I'm going with her." I explain

"Yeah, I've got things to see and all." Mickey smirks again

"Like what?" Demands The Doctor

"Well, you don't know anything about me, do ya? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part." Mickey yells, annoyed

"I'm sorry. I've gotta go." Rose says, walking quickly away

The Doctor turns from Rose to Mickey. They're both walking away from him and he doesn't know which way to turn.

"Go on then." Mickey says, gesturing to Rose "No choice, is there? You can only chase after one of us, and it's never gonna be me, is it?"

Rose stops walking backwards, turns and runs away. I follow as fast as I can.

"Back here in twenty-four hours!" The Doctor orders Mickey, and he runs after Rose and I.


	30. Chapter 30

_"Back here in twenty-four hours!" The Doctor orders Mickey, and he runs after Rose and I._

Rose smiles when the Doctor starts walking beside her.

"This is a bad idea." The Doctor informs us

"I know but I just have this gut feeling that I should find him." Rose explains.

"I should've known I couldn't stop you. Couldn't stop you when we landed the year your Dad died and now, in an alternate parallel universe where he lives, of course I can't stop you from finding him." The Doctor shakes his head "But where's Mickey going?"

We turn down a street.

"Well, Mickey's mum just couldn't cope. His dad hung around for a while, but then he just sort of wandered off. He was brought up by his Gran. She was such a great woman. God, she used to slap him!" grins Rose, before her smile fades "And then she died. She tripped and fell down the stairs. It's about five years ago, now. I was still in school."

"I never knew." Murmurs The Doctor

"Well, you never asked." Rose responds

"You never said!" The Doctor gasps, annoyed

"That's Mickey. I s'pose I... we just... take him for granted. Do you think she's still alive, his Gran?" Rose responds

"Could be. Like I said, parallel world, gingerbread house. We need to get out of here as fast as we can." The Doctor answers

A short alarm sounds and everyone around them suddenly freezes. The Doctor and Rose look around at them, confused.

"What're they all doing?" I ask, looking around

"They've stopped..." Murmurs The Doctor

Everyone is wearing earpieces, which flash and beep quietly. The Doctor pauses beside one man and squints at his earpiece.

"It's the earpieces... like Bluetooth attachments, but everyone's connected together." The Doctor says, fascinated

Rose's phone beeps. She takes it out of her pocket and looks at it.

"It's on my phone. It's automatic, look. It's downloading. Is this what they're all getting?" The Doctor peers over her shoulder and puts his specs on. Rose lowers the phone slightly so I can see.

"News... international news... sport... weather..." Rose says, as she scrolls through the "daily downloads".

"They get it direct. Downloaded right into their heads." The Doctor explains

"…TV schedules, lottery numbers..." Rose continues

"Everyone shares the same information." He takes the phone from Rose and reads it.

"Daily download published by Cybus Industries." He says

The download scrolls to "Joke". Everyone around us chuckles, and then go on their merry way. The Doctor and Rose stare, completely nonplussed as the crowd carry on as though nothing had happened.

"You lot, you're obsessed. You'd do anything for the latest upgrade." The Doctor snorts, distainfully

"Oi... not my lot. Different world, remember..." Rose answers, offended

"It's not so far off your world. This place is only parallel." The Doctor says. He presses a few buttons on the phone. "Oh, look at that." He shows the phone to Rose and I "Cybus Industries owns just about every company in Britain, including Vitex. Mr Pete Tyler's very well connected." Rose does not reply, but hangs off his arm smiling innocently and does the puppy-dog-eyes until... "Oh, okay. I give up. "He tosses her phone back to her. Let's go and see him."

Rose squeals with excitement and throws her arms around the Doctor in a tight hug before jumping down, grabbing his hand and mine and leading us off down the road.

When we finally get to the Tyler mansion, it is evident a party is going on. We crawl through the bushes until we make it to the side of the door.

"They've got visitors." The Doctor observes

"February the first, Mum's birthday. Even in a parallel universe, she still loves a party." Chuckles Rose

"Well, given Pete Tyler's guest list, I wouldn't mind a look. And there is one guaranteed way of getting inside." He waves the psychic paper around.

"Psychic paper!" Grins Rose

"Who do you wanna be?" grins The Doctor

I catch sight of a waitress in the doorway

"Waitstaff." I suggest to them, and The Doctor nods.

"But-" Starts Rose, in dismay.

"Here."

He digs in his pockets and pulls out a nice suit and a waitress uniform, including a tight bodice, and full short poofy skirt.

"I'll turn around." The Doctor whispers, handing it to her.

He turns and I help Rose into the revealing little costume.

Next, the Doctor climbs into his. We sneak around the back to the rear entrance and enter the kitchen.

"Doctor, what about me?" I whisper

"Oh. Here." He pulls out a beautiful silver tulle gown and hands it to me.

"Pretend to be the child of someone at the party." He says

"But I look just like Rose." I answer

"Doesn't matter! Go Mingle!" he orders, cheekily and shoves me into a closet. I change into the dress, glad it hides my tattered converse. I leave the closet and hurry into the main party room.

A moment later, several waiters and waitresses enter the party from the kitchens, all holding trays of refreshments... followed by the Doctor and Rose, dressed up in the same garb. A woman takes some food from Rose's plate and walks off.

"We could've been anyone." Rose mumbles to me, and The Doctor as I take one of her appetizers

"Got us in, didn't it?" I answer

"You're in charge of the psychic paper. We could've been guests. Celebrities. Sir Doctor, Dame Rose. We end up serving. I had enough of this back home." Rose hisses at The Doctor.

They both smile politely as people take champagne and cocktail sticks from their trays.

"If you wanna know what's going on, work in the kitchens." The Doctor answers

They retreat slightly to the side of the room so they can watch the proceedings, groups of important people chatting and laughing, photographs being taken. I wander near them, my small size helping me hide amongst the cocktail tables.

"According to Lucy, that man over there..." He gestures to a greying man in a sharp-looking suit

"Who's Lucy?" Hisses Rose, eyes narrowing

"She's carrying the salmon pinwheels." He nods over to a young, pretty, waitress at the other side of the room.

"Oh, that's Lucy, is it?" Snarls Rose

"... Yeah!" He glances at her, picking up on the jealousy "Lucy says, that is the President of Great Britain."

"What, there's a President, not a Prime Minister?" Demands Rose

"Seems so." Shrugs The Doctor

"Or maybe Lucy's just a bit thick." Rose shrugs back, and I stifle a laugh. They move on their way with the trays.

"Excuse me! Thank you very much." I look up to see Pete standing on the grand staircase, talking to the group "Thank you, if I could just have your attention, please?"

"Pete! Go on, Pete!" Some guest, most likely already drunk yells.

"Thank you very much!" Smiles Pete

"It's about time you did some work. I thought you liked them young!" The man says, obnoxiously

I catch sight of Rose standing in the doorway, eyes locked on Pete, the Doctor behind her.

"Um, I'd just like to say, er, thank you to you all, for coming on this er, this very special occasion." Rose gazes up at him. "My wife's... thirty-ninth." The crowd chortle, and I look around, not understanding the joke. "Trust me on this..." Grins Pete, holding his thumbs up, just like in the commercial. The crowd laugh appreciatively.

"So, without any further ado, here she is. The birthday girl... my lovely wife... Jackie Tyler." Rose strains for a look. The Doctor glances at her. Jackie descends the staircase, smiling at the crowd who applaud and cheer and snap photos. Rose stares at her. Jackie stands next to Pete. "Now, I'm not giving a speech, that's what my parties are famous for, no work, no politics, just a few good mates and plenty of black-market whisky."

This makes the crowd laugh again. Jackie laughs, spotting the President, "Pardon me, Mr President! "He smiles. "So, yeah! Get on with it, enjoy, enjoy. More cheers." She cries. Pete takes Jackie's hand and they descend the rest of the stairs to mingle with the crowd.

"You can't stay. Even if there was some way of telling them." The Doctor tells Rose as I make my way towards them

"Course I can't. I've still got my mum at home, my real mum. I couldn't just leave her, could I? It's just... they've got each other. Mum's got no one." Rose answers

"She's got you! Those two haven't!" I tell her

"All these different worlds, not one of them gets it right." Sighs The Doctor

"Rose!" Jackie calls. This is followed by a series of barking and yelps. "There's my little girl!" Grins Jackie, when a little terrier appears. The dog potters over to Jackie, who picks her up. "Come to mummy, come to mummy! Yes, good girl! Good girl, aren't you?"

I wince, looking over at Rose. The expression on Rose's face is priceless. The Doctor takes one look at her and bursts out laughing, but sobers at the look she gives him.

"Sorry." The Doctor apologizes, sheepishly.

Rose just stares in shock and disappointment.


	31. Chapter 31

_"Sorry." The Doctor apologizes, sheepishly. Rose just stares in shock and disappointment._

The Doctor detaches himself from the crowds and walks down a corridor. I watch him as he almost walks past a dark, empty room with the door slightly ajar, but backtracks as he notices a laptop open on the desk inside. He looks warily behind him to check that the coast is clear, then sneaks quietly into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Rose watches from a distance as Jackie chats to the President, laughing raucously. Pete appears next to her, also watching Jackie. I duck further away, behind a small statue so I can hear them without bothering them.

"I remember her twenty-first. Pint of cider in the George." Smiles Pete "Sorry, champagne?" Rose offers

"Oh, might as well. I'm paying for it!" They laugh. Pete sips the champagne.

"It's a big night for you..." Rose says

"Well, for her... still, she's happy." He smiles over at Jackie

"Yeah, she should be. It's a great party." Rose compliments

"Do you think?" He asks her

Rose gives him the thumbs up and grins. "You can trust me...!"

"You can trust me on this." Pete corrects her, laughing

"That's it, sorry, yeah!" They laugh. "So, um, how long have you two been married?

"Twenty years." He sighs, happily

"And no kids, or...?"

"We kept putting it off. She said she didn't wanna spoil her figure." He shakes his head, with a chuckle

"It's not too late. She's only forty." Smiles Rose

"Thirty-nine." Corrects Pete

"Oh, right, thirty-nine!" They chuckle.

"It's still too late... I moved out last month. We're gonna keep it quiet, you know, it's bad for business." Pete explains

Rose's smile has faded. She nods. There is a pause.

"Why am I telling you all this? We haven't met before, have we?" Pete says and Rose stares at him. "I dunno, you just seem sort of..." Pete continues, struggling for words.

"What?" Rose asks

Pete considers her. "I dunno, just sort of... right." There is another pause. Pete seems to get uncomfortable with the situation and moves away to talk to someone else. "Stevey, how's things? How's it going at Torchwood?"

Rose is left alone. She turns and hurries towards the porch, trying to get away from everyone. I can see the tears in her eyes. I hurry after her and freeze in the doorway as Rose finds Jackie sitting alone outside on a bench. It's just the two of them.

"Mrs Tyler, is there anything I can get you?"

"The last twenty years back." She laughs tiredly. Rose smiles uncertainly. "I can manage a glass of champagne... or a nice cup of tea?" Offers Rose "Oh, that'd do me!" Jackie exclaims. They laugh. The ice broken, Rose sits down next to Jackie, still holding the tray of champagne.

"My mum loves that. End of a long night, she never goes straight to bed, she always stays up just to have that last cup of tea."

"Oh, I'm the same!" Grins Jackie

"Two sugars..." Smiles Rose

"And me! Pete always says, you know... "She stops, shakes her head ... ah, never mind him."

"I was talking to him earlier. He's a nice man. You know, big of a Jack the Lad, I s'pose, even if he has got money, but... he's a good bloke. Better than most." She looks at Jackie for a few moments. "He'sworth a second chance." Rose softly says. Jackie turns sharply.

"Are you commenting on my marriage?" She snarls

"No, I was just..." Rose starts, taken aback

"Who the hell do you think you are? You're staff! You're nothing but staff, you're just the serving girl, for God's sake." Rose looks away, hurt. "And you are certainly not getting paid. Don't you dare talk to me." Jackie stands and goes back inside, leaving Rose alone on the bench, upset. Suddenly, a floodlight of sorts snaps on me and Rose and I squint. Shadowy figures march up the front lawn. I can't see them properly because of the bright light behind them. They come closer with an ominous "boom, boom, boom, boom".  
"Rose!" I call, and Rose stands, watching the figures marching closer. After a few moments, she turns on her heel and runs towards me.

"Come on." She says, her voice low with worry.

We catch sight of the Doctor and we go to a window and look outside at the figures.

"It's happening again." The Doctor says, his voice hushed

"What do you mean?" I ask

"I've seem them before." The Doctor says

The mysterious figures get closer.

"What are they?" Rose ask

"Cybermen." The Doctor answers as several of them smash steel fists through the windows in order to gain entry to the house, which elicits screams from the crowd. They cower as the Cybermen step through the full-length windows. We scramble through the crowd, and I cling to Rose's hand, trying to escape. Soon, the 'Cybermen' have everyone in the room circled with no way out.

Everyone is screaming,

"What are they? Robots?" Rose asks the Doctor  
"Worse than that." Answers the Doctor

"Who were these people?" demands the president, talking in his earpiece to someone.

"They're people?" I gasp, nauseous

"They were. Until they had all their humanity taken away. It's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body. With a heart of steel. All emotions removed." The Doctor tells us as he frantically looks for a way out.

"Why no emotions?" Rose asks

"Because it hurts."

"I demand to know, Lumic, these people, who were they?" Yells the President

"Lumic." Whispers Rose, understanding now who is behind the creation of the Cybermen.

One of the Cybermen squares itself in front of the crowd.

"We have been upgraded." It announces

"Into what?" Demands The Doctor

"The next level of mankind. We are Human Point Two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us." It Yells

"I'm sorry." The president approaches the Cyberman "I'm so sorry for what's been done to you." He turns, and walks around. "But listen to me, this experiment ends. Tonight."

"Upgrading is compulsory." The Cyberman yells

"And if I refuse?" demands the President

"Don't!" The Doctor quickly tells him. Rose glances at him.

"What if I refuse?" The President demands again

"I'm telling you. Don't." The Doctor says, stepping forward

The President ignored him and pressed again "What happens if I refuse?" "Then you are not compatible." Answers the Cyberman

"What happens then?" Challenges the President

"You will be deleted." He grasps the President, whose eyes widen in shock, by the neck. He is engulfed by electric-blue light as he is killed. The crowd scream and start to run.

"Jackie?" Pete yells in the chaos

The people desperately run around, looking for a way out whilst some unfortunate individuals are attacked by the Cybermen. The room is chaos, the Doctor tosses me over his shoulder with one arm and grabs Rose's hand with the other, pulling her outside through one of the broken windows.

"There's nothing we can do!" The Doctor says, as Rose pulls away from him and tries to go back inside.

"My mum's in there!" Cries Rose

The Doctor pulls her away again.

"She's not your mother! Come on!"

We run up a slope, only to be greeted by another row of Cybermen. We quickly change direction and run around the side of the house. Pete leaps out of the window, Rose spots him and calls him over to us

"Quick! Quick!" Pete runs after us.

Rose, Pete the Doctor and I, still thrown over his shoulder, reach the front of the house.

"Pete, there's no way out!" The Doctor says, looking around

"The side gates!" Pete says, and we run in the direction he indicates. "Who are you? How do you know so much?" Pants Pete as we run

"You wouldn't believe it in a million years..." The Doctor responds

We skid to a halt as they are met by another row of Cybermen and are forced to change direction, two figures run towards the house, holding guns.

"Who's that?" Demands Rose

"Get behind me!" Mickey says, appearing out of nowhere.

The Doctor, Rose and Pete and I crouch behind Mickey and this blonde teenager. They fire their guns at the onslaught of Cybermen.

The Cybermen stop marching. Rose fusses with Micky's coat.

"Oh my God, look at you..." A relieved Rose pulls him into a tight hug.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

Mickey pulls away from her. "Yeah, no offence, sweetheart, but who the hell are you?" Another Mickey sprints down the lawn towards us.

"Rose!" He says. He stops when he reaches us "That's not me. That's like... the other one." Explains Mickey

Rose stares at him, and then at the other Mickey

"Oh, as if things weren't bad enough, there's two Mickey's!" Groans the Doctor

"It's Ricky." Says the Mickey crouched near Rose

"But there's more of them..." The real Mickey says.

We look around them in fear as we are surrounded by Cybermen.

"We're surrounded..." Murmurs Rose, slowly tugging me off the Doctor and shielding me between her and The Doctor's body.

Ricky/Mickey raises his gun.

"Put the guns down. Bullets won't stop them." The Doctor whispers

The blonde ignores this and fires a rally. The Doctor pushes his gun aside angrily.

"No! Stop shooting, now!" The Doctor straightens and addresses the surrounding Cybermen. "We surrender! Hands up..."

We all slowly put our hands up, though Rose still was keeping me pressed between her and The Doctor.

"There's no need to damage us, we're good stock. We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed." Continues The Doctor

"You are rogue elements." The Cyberman responds

"But we surrender."

"You are incompatible."

"But this is a surrender!" cries The Doctor

"You will be deleted."

"But we're surrendering! Listen to me, we surrender!" The Doctor cries, frantic

"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cybermen but you will perish under maximum deletion." The Cyberman raises it's arm and reaches towards the Doctor.

"Delete. Delete. Delete!"


	32. Chapter 32

_"_ _Delete. Delete. Delete!"_

"Alright then!"

The Doctor points the power cell at the Cybermen, which expels a shot of golden light which bounds off one of them and onto the others, they are all disintegrated.

"What the hell was that?" Mickey/Rickey asked in surprise

"We'll have that instead, run!" cries the Doctor. Rose kneels down and I scramble onto her back and we all take off. A blue van drives hooting its horn.

An older woman sticks her head out the driver's seat window

"Everybody in!" She yells

Pete tries to run back to the house. The Doctor grabs him and tries to restrain him.

"I've gotta go back, my wife's in there." Pete yells

"Anyone inside that house is dead. If you wanna help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've gotta come with us right now." The Doctor yells, Pete understands, and hurries back to the van.

"Come on, get a move on!" Yells the Old woman.

Rose puts me down and I start to run, only to stop and look back, because Rose is still staring at the house. The Doctor goes to her.

"Rose, she's not your mother." He informs her

"I know." She whispers back

"Come on." He pushes her in the direction of the van. He helps me into the back, and the two of them follow, climbing in.

"Finished chatting?! Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" The old lady chastises us as we drive off.

A few moments of terror follow us as we race towards the main street, slowing down little by little.

The van is driving along at a steady speed now, relatively calm. Ricky/Mickey who is sitting in the front, glares through the grilling at the power cell, which the Doctor is still holding in his hand.

"What was that thing?" He asks

"Little bit of technology from my home." The Doctor answers

"It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?" Asks Ricky/Mickey

"It's on a revitalising loop. It'll charge back up in about four hours." Answers the Doctor, as he places it back in his pocket

"Right. So, we don't have a weapon anymore." Rickey/Mickey says

"Yeah, we've got weapons. Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him." The dirty blonde teen says

He's looking at Pete.

"Leave him alone! What's he done wrong?" demands Rose

"Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government. And left Lumic in charge." Snarls Ricky/Mickey

"If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?" Pete asks, wearily

"Maybe your plan went wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though." Smirks Rickey/Mickey

"Talk about executions, you'll make me your enemy. And take some really good advice, you don't wanna do that." The Doctor says, dangerously

"All the same... we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since 20.5." Smirks Rickey/Mickey

Rose stares at Pete, taken aback. "Is that true?" She asks

Pete looks uncomfortable.

"Tell 'em, Mrs M." Calls Rickey/Mickey

"We've got a government mole who feeds us information. Lumic's private files, his South American operations... the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week." Calls the woman from up front, Ms. M.

"Broadcast from Gemini?" Asks Pete

"And how do you know that?" demands Rickey/Mickey

"I'm Gemini. That's me." Pete says

"Yeah, well you would say that." Rickey/ Mickey laughs dryly

"Encrypted wavelength six-five-seven using binary nine." Pete says and Ricky/Mickey and the blonde glance at one another.

"That's the only reason I was working for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services, and what do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van!" Sighs Pete

"No, no, no! But the Preachers know what they're doing. Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted!" Mickey defends

"Yeah, that's not exactly.." starts Rickey/Mickey

"Not exactly what?" Mickey says, looking annoyed

"I'm London's Most Wanted for... parking tickets." Admits Rickey/mickey sheepishly

The Doctor smiles. Rose raises her eyebrows.

"Great." Groans Pete

"They were deliberate! I was fighting the system! Park anywhere, that's me." Rickey/Mickey defends

"Good policy." Grins The Doctor "I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested..."

"And I'm Rose. Hello!" Rose smiles

"Even better. That's the name of my dog."

"And I'm Wolfe." I wave

"Great. And a four year old child. Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side." Pete rolls his eyes

Rose looks at him. "I knew you weren't a traitor." Rose says, quietly

"Why's that, then?" Pete asks

Rose glances at the Doctor, who is watching her.

"I just did." She answers

"They took my wife." Pete murmurs

"She might still be alive." Rose offers

"That's even worse. 'Cos that's what Lumic does. He takes the living... and he turns them into those machines." Pete says, looking miserable

"Cybermen." The Doctor says and all eyes turn to him.

"They're called Cybermen. And I'd take those ear-pods off, if I were you." Pete obliges and gives them to the Doctor.

"You never know... Lumic could be listening." He disables them with his sonic screwdriver. "But he's overreached himself. He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the City and inform the authorities. Because I promise you, this ends tonight."

We drive for ten minutes more and ditch the van about four blocks back. We started walking down the street and find hundreds and hundreds of people walking in neat lines towards something.

"What the hell...?" The blonde (whose name is Jake) asks in shock

"What's going on?" I gasp

"It's the ear-pods. Lumic's taking control." The Doctor says, grimly.

"Can't we just... I dunno, take them off? She reaches up to one man to take his ear-pods out, but the Doctor stops her.

"Don't! Cause a brainstorm. Human Race, for such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit. Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life."

"Hey." Jake calls as he and Ricky are peering around the corner, crouching.

"Come and see." Jake calls to us.

We join them in looking around the corner. A row of Cybermen march alongside the people under the control of the ear-pods, still heading in the same direction.

"Where are they all going?"

"I don't know. Lumic must have a base of operation."

"Battersea. That's where he was building his prototypes." Pete explains

"Why's he doing it?" I ask

"He's dying." Explains Pete "This all started out as a way of life by keeping the brain alive. At any cost."

"The thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I? That head, those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum." Rose says to the Doctor

"Ah, there are Cybermen in our universe. They started on an ordinary world just like this, then swarmed across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch right here on earth."

"What the hell are you two on about?" demands Pete

"Never mind that. Come on, we need to get out of the City." Rickey/Mickey says

The Cybermen are fast-approaching down the street.

"Okay, split up, Mrs Moore, you look after that bloke. Jake, distract them, go right, I'll go left, we'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move." Rickey/Mickey says as he runs off in one direction, Jake in the other. Mickey turns to Rose.

"I'm going with him." He says. He gives Rose a quick, chaste kiss, and follows Ricky/Mickey. The Doctor's eyes are staring dagger's at Mickey's back.

"Come on, let's go." Ms. M says, and we run. The Cybermen march towards us.

"There!" calls Ms. M and we run down a side alley, with some Cybermen in pursuit. We dive behind rubbish and dustbins, my chest and legs aching from running so much. The Cybermen are marching down the street. Rose clutches onto Pete's hand. The Cybermen stop as if they want to investigate the rubbish further, but the Doctor points his sonic screwdriver in their direction. It bleeps and they go on their way. Rose stands and lets go of Pete's hand. They glance at one other, he's clearly slightly bewildered by the way she's behaving towards him. We all stand warily and watch the Cybermen march off into the distance.

"Go." The Doctor's quiet, barked order urges us to creep out from behind the dustbins and run in the opposite direction.

We crouch in an alley, waiting for the boys to return, when Jake appears and we wave him into the alley where we're hiding.

"I ran past the river." Pants Jake "You should've seen it, the whole City's on the watch. Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames." We look out and Mickey or Rickey runs down the street towards us, alone. Jake turns and his face lights up. "Here he is!" grins Jake. Mickey does not reply. He comes to a halt. Jake furrows his brow. "Which one are you?" The fact that something is wrong is written all over Mickey or Rickey's face and my stomach drops.


	33. Chapter 33

_The fact that something is wrong is written all over Mickey or Rickey's face and my stomach drops._

"I'm sorry. The Cybermen. He couldn't..." Murmurs Mickey or Ricky

"Are you Ricky? ARE YOU RICKY?" Demands Jake, tears brimming in his eyes

"Mickey, that's you, isn't it?" Whispers Rose

"Yeah." Mickey nods

Rose runs to him and throws her arms around him. Jake is silent.

"He tried. He was running..." Mikey says to Jake, but he turns away. "There was too many of them." Mickey continues

"Shut it." Snarls Jake as his face contorts with pain.

"There was nothing I could do." Murmurs Mickey

"I said just shut it. Don't even talk about him. You're nothing, you are." Snarls Jake.

Mickey's eyes are red and shining with tears. As are Jake's. "Nothing." Repeats Jake

"We can mourn him when London is safe. But now, we move on." The Doctor urges. The group nod miserably.

We walk up a slope, which overlooks the river - Battersea is on the opposite bank.

"The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place. To be "converted"." The Doctor says

"We've gotta get in there and shut it down." Rose says

"How do we do that?" I ask

"Oh, I'll think of something." The Doctor assures us, confidently

"You're just making this up as you go along!" Mickey says, indignantly

"Yuuuup. But I do it brilliantly" The Doctor grins. Rose smirks.

"Come here you lot!" Mrs Moore has her laptop out, and has a 3D model on the screen. "That's a schematic of the old factory. Look, cooling tunnels... underneath the plant... big enough to walk through." She explains. Everyone crowds around the laptop on a bench, except Jake, who stands some distance away, not really listening.

"We go under there and up into the control center?" The Doctor asks

"Hmm." Sighs Ms. M

"There's another way in." Pete says and everyone looks at him "Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgrading, that's how she'll get in..."

"We can't just go strolling up." Jake argues

"Or, we could... with these..." Mrs. M says as she takes some ear-pods from her bag. The Doctor takes one.

"Fake ear-pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd. " She smirks

"Then that's my job." Pete announces

"You'd have to show no emotion. None at all. Any sign of emotion would give you away." Warns The Doctor

"How many of those have you got?" Rose asks Ms. M

"Just two sets." Ms. M says, handing Rose the other set

"Okay. If that's the best way of finding Jackie... I'm coming with you." She gets up and stands next to Pete.

"Why does she matter to you?" Pete asks

"We haven't got time. Doctor, I'm going with him, and that's that." Rose says as the Doctor opens his mouth to argue.

"No stopping you, is there?" he sighs instead

"Nope." She grins

"Tell you what... we can take the ear-pods at the same time. Give people their minds back. So they don't walk into that place like sheep. Jakey-boy?" The Doctor leads Jake further up the hill for a better look at Battersea and the zeppelin stationed above it. "Lumic's transmitting the control signal, and it must be from over there..." He points the sonic screwdriver in that general direction. It bleeps. "There it is... on the zeppelin, see? Great big transmitter. Good thing Lumic likes showing off. Reckon you could take it out?"

"Consider it done." Grins Jake, an angry glean in his eye

The Doctor pats him on the shoulder and goes back to the others. "Mrs Moore... would you care to accompany me and Wolfe into the cooling tunnels?

"How could I refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?" Ms. Moore smiles

"We attack on three sides, above, between - below. We get to the control centre, we stop the conversion machines." The Doctor explains

"What about me?" Mickey asks. He's standing slightly apart from the group, forgotten. Again. Everyone looks over at him like they've only just remembered he's there.

"Mickey! You can... ahm..." The Doctor falters

"What, stay out of trouble? Be the tin dog? No, those days are over. I'm going with Jake." Mickey says, firmly

"I don't need you, idiot." Groans Jake

"I'm not an idiot! You got that?" Yells Mickey at him, before calming down. "I'm offering to help."

"Whatever." Sighs Jake

He walks off. Mickey follows him. The Doctor watches closely.

"Mickey?" he calls. Mickey turns back. "Good luck." The Doctor calls

"Yeah. You too. Rose, I'll see you later." Mickey calls back

"Yeah, you better." Rose answers

"If we survive this, I'll see you back at the TARDIS." The Doctor says, as he smiles at Mickey, eyes intense. Mickey nods.

"That's a promise." Mickey responds. He walks away again with a smile on his face, confidence restored.

The Doctor envelope Rose in a tight hug. She grins up at the Doctor.

"Good luck." Whispers the Doctor to her. Rose nods.

"You too." She whispers.

Then she kneels and gives me a tight hug. "Be safe. Take care of him." She grins and I hug her tightly before she puts in her earphones and hurries off with Pete.

Ms. M, The Doctor and I hurry towards the cooling tunnel trap doors. The sonic screwdriver quickly opens the door.

Mrs Moore descends the ladder, followed by me and then the Doctor.

"It's freezing here." I hiss, rubbing my shoulders, which are bare, because I am still in the tattered remains of my dress.

"Any sign of a light switch?" Asks The Doctor

"Can't see a thing. But I've got these..." Mrs. M responds as she rummages through her bag and hands the Doctor a light that can be tied round his head. "A device for every occasion..."

"Ooh!" Grins The Doctor

"Put it on." Urges Mrs. Moore as she hands me one and then finds one for herself. We put them on.

"Haven't got a hotdog in there, have you? I'm starving." The Doctor says Mrs Moore laughs.

"Of all the things to wish for! That's mechanically recovered meat!"

"I know. It's the Cyberman of food, but it's tasty." Grins the Doctor

"A proper torch as well." Mrs. Moore hands him a torch with a smile

"Let's see where we are." The Doctor says as he switches the torch on and takes a few steps forward. The first thing the light falls on is a Cyberman. There are hundreds of them lining the cooling tunnels, but they are lifeless.

"Already converted, just paralyzed. Come on!" The Doctor says and he walks forward, ready to start the journey down the cooling tunnels. After a moments hesitation, Mrs Moore follows. The Doctor pauses and raps one on the face plate, which elicits no response. "Let's go slowly. Keep an eye out for trip systems." We edge slowly and warily down the tunnel, past lifeless Cyberman after lifeless Cyberman.

"How did you get into this, then? Rattling along with the Preachers?" The Doctor asks as we continue down the tunnel

"Oh, I used to be ordinary. Worked at Cybus Industries. '95. 'Til one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly, I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techy, so I... I just sat down and taught myself everything." She shrugs

"What about Mr Moore?" asks The Doctor

"Well, he's not called Moore. I got that from a book, Mrs Moore. It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids. What about you? Got any family, or...?" Mrs. Moore says

"Oh, who needs family? I've got the whole world on my shoulders." I frown and jab him in the thigh with my torch,

He jumps, looking down, before his eyes soften. "Well, Wolfe and Rose are as close to family as I've come in a long time." He tells Mrs. Moore and I smile.

"That's good. A man like you...he needs a family. Something to make the world on his shoulders worth it." Mrs. M answers,

The Doctor looks down at me. "They do." He whispers, softly before brightening up again. "Go on then, what's your real name?"

"Angela Price." Answers Mrs. Moore

The Doctor nods, smiling.

"Don't tell a soul." She warns us

"Not a word." He grins and I mime locking my lips

A Cyberman's hand twitches slightly.

"Doctor? Did that one just move?" I say, eyes wide

"It's just the torchlight. Keep going, come on." He urges

Another one, just in front of us, definitely turns.

"Doctor…!" I say, terrified.

"They're waking up..." he says, handing his big torch to Mrs. Moore, scooping me up and all of us take off down the tunnel. As we go, the Cybermen spring to life, one after another. They begin to march forwards just as we reach the ladder at the end of the tunnel. We scramble to get up it.

"Get up! Quick! They're coming!" urges Mrs. Moore

The Doctor attempts to open the seal with his sonic screwdriver.

"Open it! Open it!" I screech

The Doctor succeeds and tosses the door aside. He throws me up into the room, and climbs up after me as Ms. Moore yells

"Get up! Quick! Quick!"

"Come on! Come on!" the Doctor urges her. She climbs out of the trapdoor, and the Doctor manages to slam the door closed just in time. The Doctor seals it with his sonic screwdriver.

"Oh, good team, Mrs Moore!" grins The Doctor

Mrs Moore nods, slightly in shock

"Come on, let's keep moving." We get to our feet and continue to edge along the dark, metal corridor. Suddenly, a Cyberman steps out in front of us. We jump backwards.

"You are not upgraded." It squawks

"Yeah? Well, upgrade this." Snarls Mrs. Moore.

She throws a small metal device at the Cyberman - it sticks to its chest. It sparks and causes the Cyberman to be electrocuted. It shakes and jerks, and then slumps to the floor. The Doctor looks delighted.

"What the hell was that thing?" he cries in awe and excitement

We approach the body.

"Electromagnetic bomb. Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the cyber-suit." Shrugs Mrs. Moore

"You figured right. Now, let's have a look..." compliments the Doctor

He takes out his sonic screwdriver, bends down and holds it to the Cybus logo on its chest.

"Now... know your enemy... and the logo on the front... Lumic's turned them into a brand." He takes the logo off so that they can see inside the Cyberman. "Heart of steel... but look..." He puts his fingers inside the Cyberman, and draws out some bodily tissues. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from vomiting

"Is that flesh?" gasps Mrs. Moore

"Hmmm... central nervous system. Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it is a living thing. Oh, but look..." He carefully fingers an electronic chip. "Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything."

"But... why?" I ask

"It's still got a human brain... imagine its reaction if it could see itself. Realize itself inside this thing. They'd go insane..." Murmurs the Doctor, sadly

"So they cut out the one thing that makes them human." Says a horrified Mrs. Moore

"Because they have to." The Doctor answers

"Why am I cold?" The Cyberman says and I scramble away from it

"Oh, my God. It's alive. It can feel." Gasps Mrs. Moore

"We broke the inhibitor." The Doctor says. He leans over the Cyberman, and touches its head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He murmurs and tears spring into my eyes

"Why so cold?" It asks again

"Can you remember your name?" The Doctor asks

"Sally. Sally Phelan." She answers

"You're a woman..." I gasp

"Where's Gareth?" the Cyberman asks

"Who's Gareth?" Mrs. Moore asks

"He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before." The woman moans

"You're getting married." Mrs. Moore whispers

"I'm cold. I'm so cold.

"Sorry. You sleep now, Sally. Just go to sleep." The Doctor points the sonic screwdriver just inside the suit. The blue light inside goes out. "Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing. 'Cos that's the key. The emotional inhibitor, if we could find the code behind it, the cancellation code, then feed it throughout the system into every Cyberman's head..." The Doctor starts

and Mrs Moore nods. "They'd realize what they are..."

"And what happens then?" I whisper in horror

"I think it would kill them. Could we do that?" he pauses, questioning his method "We've got to. Before they kill everyone else." The Doctor looks as though he is finding this decision hard.

"There's no choice, Doctor. It's got to be done." She stands. The Doctor is still staring at Sally's body.

Suddenly a Cyberman appears out of nowhere and grabs Mrs. Moore by the neck, and kills her.

"No!" I scream, and the Doctor stands in horror.

"No! No! You didn't have to kill her!" The Doctor yells, furious

"Sensors detect two binary vascular systems. You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis." Announces the Cybermen

"Doctor!" I cry as a cyberman grabs onto my shoulder and the Doctor's.


	34. Chapter 34

_"Doctor!" I cry as a cyberman grabs onto my shoulder and the Doctor's._

The Doctor, looking disgusted by them, "Wolfe, it's okay. Just let them lead you and try to stay in my eyesight okay?" he orders and I nod. We allow ourselves to be lead off by the Cybermen.

We are marched into the main control room of Battersea.

"We've been captured, but don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there, they can rescue us... oh well, never mind." The Doctor says, and I catch sight of Rose.

"You okay?" the Doctor asks her

"Yeah. But they got Jackie." Sniffles Rose

"We were too late. Lumic killed her." Pete mourns

"Then where is he? The famous Mr Lumic? Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?" yells The Doctor

"He has been upgraded." One of the Cybermen informs the Doctor

"So he's just like you?" I ask

"He is superior. The Lumic Unit has been designated Cyber Controller." The Cyberman Answers

They all turn as the sliding doors open. Mr Lumic, now as a Cyberman, rolls through them. He is sitting on an elaborate chair, covered with wires and tubes. Pete stands in amazement.

"This is The Age of Steel and I am its Creator." He crows

Suddenly, we hear screams echo from other place The Cybermen look around.

"That's my friends at work. Good boys! Mr Lumic, I think that's a vote for free will." He winks.  
"I have factories waiting on seven continents. If the ear-pods have failed, then Cybermen will take humanity by force. London has fallen. So shall the world." Announces Mr. Lumic "I will bring peace to the world. Everlasting peace, and unity, and uniformity.

"And imagination? What about that? The one thing that lead you here. Imagination, you're killing it, dead!" Yells the Doctor

"What is your name?" asks Mr. Lumic

"I'm the Doctor."

"A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken." Scoffs Mr. Lumic

"Yeah, but that's it! That's exactly the point!" grins The Doctor, trying to get Mr. Lumic to see reason "Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man... I'd call you a genius, except I'm in the room. But everything you've invented, you did to fight your sickness. And that's brilliant. That is so human. But once you get rid of sickness and mortality, then what's there to strive for? Eh? The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop! You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts. Lacking the one thing that makes this planet so alive. People. Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people!"

"You are proud of your emotions?" questions Mr. Lumic

"Oh, yes." Grins the Doctor

"Then tell me, Doctor, have you known grief, and rage, and pain?" Mr. Lumic asks

"Yes. Yes, I have." His eyes grow dark with memory

"And they hurt?"

"Oh yes." Agrees The Doctor

"I could set you free. Would you not want that? A life without pain?"Mr. Lumic says to us

"You might as well kill me." The Doctor retorts

"Then I take that option." Shrugs Mr. Lumic

"It's not yours to take. You're a cyber controller. You don't control me or anything with blood in its heart." The Doctor grins

"You have no means of stopping me. I have an army. A species of my own."

The Doctor puts his face in his palm, exasperated.

"You just don't get it, do you? An army's nothing. 'Cos those ordinary people, they're the key." He glances at the security camera "The most ordinary person could change the world. Some ordinary man or woman... some idiot..." Continues the Doctor and I realize that Mickey must be watching. I grin with realization. "All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers... say, the right codes... say, for for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code right in front of him. 'Cos even an idiot knows how to use computers these days. Knows how to get past firewalls and passwords... knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic Family Database, under... what was it, Pete? Binary what?"

"Binary 9!" Pete yells a little too loudly to the Doctor.

"An idiot could find that code. The cancellation code. And he'd keep on typing. Keep on fighting." The Doctor looks meaningfully into the camera "Anything to save his friends..."

"Your words are irrelevant." Sneers Mr. Lumic

"Talk too much, that's my problem. Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Rose. For all our long chats. On your phone." Another meaningful glance into the camera.

"You will be deleted." Mr. Lumic yells

"Yes, delete, control, hash, all those lovely buttons." The Doctor continues

"Then of course, my particular favorite, send." The Doctor says, with a chuckle

"And let's not forget how you seduced all those ordinary people in the first place." Rose's phone beeps, indicating that she has just received a message. "By making every bit of technology compatible with everything else..." He loiters by one particular computer.

"It's for you." Rose says, and she chucks him her phone. He catches it. "Like this." The Doctor yells as he shoves it into a port. It fits perfectly. All hell breaks loose and the cybermen clutch onto their heads, moaning. The code flashes on every single computer screen. The Cybermen, all over the factory, fall around and start twitching, crying out and clutching their metal skulls. One of them has caught sight of their reflection in a piece of metal and is whimpering and touching its face and fingering its reflection. "I'm sorry." The Doctor whispers, his guilt obvious for only a second.

"What have you done?" Shrieks Mr. Lumic in fury

"I gave them back their souls. They can see what you've done, Lumic! And it's killing them." Yells The Doctor

The Doctor gives me a piggy back ride and we all run from the room with Lumic's hysterical "Delete! Delete! Delete!" following us

Small explosions erupt all over the factory, we run for their lives, looking for a way out. Rose tries one door but finds the way blocked by wailing Cybermen.

"There's no way out!" I yell

Rose's mobile rings and she answers as we run, hysterical.

"It's Mickey. He says "head for the roof"." Rose informs us

We run up a flight of stairs, trying to avoid the explosions and flames. I look over my shoulder and catch sight of Lumic as he roars with fury and pulls the tubes binding him to the chair off himself. We start climbing the ladder to the roof, Rose, me, Pete and then the Doctor. We halt when e see the zeppelin.  
"Mickey, where'd you learn to fly that thing?" Rose demands into the mobile

We bolt forwards, flinching at the random explosions all around them. A hatch on the zeppelin opens, and releases a rope ladder down to the us. "You've got to be kidding." Groans the Doctor

I suddenly remember this scene from my dream.

"Pete go!" Rose orders and he starts to climb.

"Rose, go up!" The Doctor orders

"No you first!" Rose answers.

The Doctor grabs her by the waist and tosses her on the ladder. Rose starts to climb the ladder.

"Wolfe you next!"

"No!" I yell but I have no choice. I get on the ladder after Rose and I can feel the Doctor climbing after me.

The zeppelin rises up and away.

"We did it! We did it!" Rose cries with joy. The Doctor struggles up the ladder. It is suddenly jerked downwards. Rose screams as we nearly fall off. We look down, and Lumic is hanging onto the bottom rungs, just like in my vision. He starts to climb up after us. The Doctor takes his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket pocket.  
"Doctor No!" I scream.

Mr. Lumic is one rung below him and grabs onto his leg. The Doctor hold the screwdriver to the rope above him, willing to cut it to save the rest of us.

Without thinking, I let go of the rope and soar downwards, shrieking.

I sail right past the Doctor's slim frame and whack Mr. Lumic on the head.

I manage to grasp onto him, and he roars with fury as his grip loosens under my weight, and he releases the Doctor's foot.

"Doctor The screwdriver!" I yell

He tosses it down, terror in his eyes.

I catch is and aim for Lumic's logo chest plate like I saw the Doctor do and I rip it off, before ripping out all sorts of wiring, frying the circuits with the screwdriver. Mr. Lumic's life supply weakens and as Mr. Lumic starts to fall, I reach my hand for the ladder, my fingers barely grasping onto it.

Suddenly, I feel a hand close around my calf, and I am yanked from the ladder.

Mr. Lumic and I plummet to earth,

"WOLFE NO!" I hear Rose's scream, as everything seems to happen in slow motion.

Then, all at once pain, and darkness.

I open my eyes gasping as pain spreads through my entire body. I can't even summon enough breath to scream in agony.

I am lying in the ruins of the building, dead Cybermen and ashes of the building everywhere.

I can see the Zeppelin in the sky, parked nearby. I can't sit up or move at all. My breath rattles in my chest and my mouth tastes of blood.

I can hear sobs in the distance, echoing over the dead landscape.

"Wolfe!" Someone yells in despair. It's the Doctor. "Wolfe!"

I open my mouth to respond, and can manage only a weak sound  
"doc-tor." I whimper, to no avail

Suddenly, Jake's face appears above the pit I am lying in

"I found her!" He screams and I hear the pounding of many footsteps towards me.

The Doctor and Rose dive down the hole towards me

"Wolfe." Whispers the Doctor as he takes in my situation.

Rose is sobbing too hard to speak. She just gently tries to smooth my hair.

"Doc-tor." I gasp

"Shh, don't talk" he murmurs, using his sonic screwdriver to scan me.

His face says what he isn't willing to

"I-" I start

"Shh." He urges again, scooping my broken body into his arms.

I shut my eyes, my hearts' beats start slowing.

"Wolfe please, don't go." Begs the Doctor, and I feel a single tear of his drip onto my cheek.

"I- I-L-L-L-" I stutter unable to get my mouth to form the word properly.

Blackness consumes me again, but this time, I am at the least in the Doctor's arms.


	35. Chapter 35

_Blackness consumes me again, but this time, I am at the least in the Doctor's arms._

I awake again, to my surprise. The pain has disappeared. I yawn as if I have just taken a nap. I sit up, a bit sore. Looking around, I see I'm just outside the Tardis, on a bench overlooking the Thames. I see Mickey, Pete and Jake sitting on one bench nearby, talking. Rose sits, with her head in her hands on the bench on the other side of me. The Doctor is sitting about five feet in front of me on the curb, looking out over the water.

"Doctor?" I say, my throat dry from not talking.

Rose and The Doctor's heads snap towards me

"Wolfe!" The Doctor is on his feet, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

He wraps his arms around me, tightly

"Wolfe!" Rose echoes and as soon as the Doctor lets me go, she swoops in, clutching me tightly. "Thank God you're alright."

"Did I regenerate?" I ask the Doctor over Roses' shoulder

"Yes." He nods.

I notice it's already dawn outside

"How long was I out?"

"Three hours. Longer than a normal Timelords' regeneration time. Must be the-"

"Human in me." I finish and he nods, eyes affectionate.

"How the hell are you alive?" demands Jake, as Pete, Mickey and Jake have wandered over "Don't get me wrong, I am not upset about it or anything but no human could survive that!"

I look at him, slightly apologetic.

"Is the Tardis all better?" I ask the Doctor instead of replying to Jake.

"Yeah, she's up and running. We were just waiting for you so you could say your goodbye's." The Doctor grins

I get up and wrap my arms around Jake, who looks surprised before awkwardly reciprocating.

"So, what happens inside that thing, then?" Pete asks Rose, nodding to the Tardis

"Do you wanna see?" Rose asks, quickly

"No, I don't think so. But you three, you know, all that stuff about different worlds... Who are you?" Pete shakes his head

"It's like you say. Imagine there are different worlds. Parallel worlds. Worlds with another Pete Tyler... Jackie Tyler's still alive... and their daughter..."

She says it carefully, looking into his eyes. Realization dawns on him.

"I've gotta go..." Pete hurriedly backs away

"But if you just look inside..." Rose starts

"No, I can't. There's all those Lumic factories out there. All those Cybermen still in storage. Someone's got to tell the authorities what happened. Carry on the fine..." Pete continues

"Rose? I've only got five minutes of power... we've gotta go." The Doctor says, looking at his watch

"The Doctor could show ya..." Rose tries to convince Pete again

"Thank you. For everything." He says instead.

Rose has tears in her eyes, now. She's looking at him intensely.

"Dad." Rose says

"Don't. Just... just don't." He walks away.

The Doctor scratches the back of his neck as he always does when he's uncomfortable, and looks at Rose.

"Now then, Jake, we've gotta run. But one more thing; Mrs Moore. Her real name is Angela Price. She's got a husband out there. And children. Find them. Tell them how she died saving the world." The Doctor says, trying to break the awkwardness since Pete left.

"Yeah, course I will." Nods Jake

"Off we go, then!" The Doctor gestures to The Tardis

"Uh... thing is, I'm staying." Mickey says, and everyone freezes.

"You're doing what?" I ask

"You can't." Rose says, her voice cracking

"It sort of balances out, 'cos this world lost its Ricky. But there's me. And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there." Mickey explains

"But you can't stay." Rose argues

"Rose, my gran's here. She's still alive. My old gran, remember her?" Mickey softly says

Rose tries to hold her tears back.

"Yeah." She sniffles

"She needs me." Mickey continues

"What about me? What if I need you?" Rose Whimpers

"Yeah, but Rose... you don't. It's just you and him, isn't it?" He looks at the Doctor, and then back to Rose. "We had something a long time ago, but... not anymore." He flashes a glance at me and I nod slightly in respect.

"Well... we'll come back. We can travel anywhere, come and see you, yeah?" Rose says, grasping at straws

"We can't. I told you, travel between parallel worlds is impossible. We only got here by accident. We... we fell through a crack in time. When we leave... I've got to close it. We can't ever return." He looks at Mickey, as if asking him if this is really what he wants. Rose looks defeated. Mickey glances at her, then holds his hand out to the Doctor.

"Doctor." He shakes his hand

"Take Rose's phone. It's got the code. Get it out there. Stop those factories." The Doctor says and Mickey nods. "And good luck. Mickey the Idiot." He slaps his cheek with a twinkle in his eye.

"Watch it!" Mickey says, eyes bright

"Bye Mickey." I say, and he kneels to give me a hug.

"Bye Wolfe. Thank you for showing me everything." He whispers, before standing up.

The Doctor scoops me up and we walk back to the Tardis, knowing Rose needs to say her goodbye alone. We watch from the door.

Rose gives Mickey her phone. He puts it inside his pocket.

"Thanks. We've had a laugh though, haven't we?"

Rose nods, tearful.

"Seen it all, been there and back... who would have thought, me and you off the old estate, flying through the stars?" Mickey asks her

"All those years just sitting there... imagining what we'd do one day... We never saw this, did we?" They put their arms around each other for a final embrace.

"Go on, you'll miss your flight." Rose clutches Mickey tighter, burying her head in his shoulder. When she pulls away, she can't look at him. She comes back to the Tardis, sobbing. When she reaches the threshold, she looks back at him one last time, and then comes inside, closing the door behind her.

She breaks down, collapsing at the base of the door. The Doctor lays me down on one of the chairs and the turns the Tardis on, and we dematerialize.

I know exactly where we're going.

Silence fills the room, except for Rose's sobs. I float in and out of sleep, my body tired from completely fixing itself.

Six hours later we arrive in Jackie's house.

"Rose? You're home." The Doctor whispers.

Rose stands and opens the door. There, staring at us, is Jackie Tyler.

"Mum." Rose whimpers. "You're alive..."

Jackie raises her eyebrows.  
"Oh, mum. You're alive." Rose flings her arms around her.

Jackie seems slightly nonplussed but pleased to see her nonetheless.  
"Well, I was the last time I looked..." The Doctor steps out of the Tardis, followed by me and we watch them.

"What is it? What's happened, sweetheart?" Jackie asks but Rose just clings tighter to her, eyes screwed shut.

"What's wrong? Where did you go?" Jackie asks The Doctor

"Far away. That was... far away." He answers, vaguely

"Where's Mickey?" She asks

"He's gone home." I answer, and Rose lets out another sob.

Jackie hugs Rose back comfortingly.

"It's alright sweetheart." She murmurs and the Doctor moves into the kitchen and starts making a pot of tea.

I walk over to the couch and fall asleep again, almost instantly, exhausted from the walk between the Tardis and the couch.

I awake to motion.

Opening my eyes, I find myself snuggled in The Doctor's arms. I nuzzle in closer, feeling safe and warm.

I hear his light chuckle as I do so.

"Let's go make Rose feel better, yeah?" he murmurs to me

I nod "Okay but I'm sleepy." My eyes slide shut again.

"I know Wolfe. Here we are." He whispers, and I hear a door opening

I hear the familiar sniffling of Rose and open my eyes again to see we're in her room.

"Rose?" I hear the Doctor say

"Yes?" Rose's soft voice answers

"I brought a feel-better present." The Doctor says, offering my very sleepy little body.

I open my eyes slightly again and see Rose's slight smile.

She rolls over to she's facing the middle of the bed and opens her arms.

The Doctor gently walks around to the other side of the bed, leaning over it to set me down in her arms. Her arms tighten around me.

I feel the Doctor back up to get off the bed, but Rose's hand lashes out and grabs the edge of his suit, causing him to freeze.

She doesn't say anything, but he comes back and lies around me, facing her.

I doze off again, but not before I feel Rose's hand sneak up from behind my head to hold the Doctor's hand above my head.


	36. Chapter 36

_I doze off again, but not before I feel Rose's hand sneak up from behind my head to hold the Doctor's hand above my head._

I wake up, still snuggled in Rose and The Doctor's arms. I realize I awoke to the sound of someone singing very, very softly. I smile as I listen to The Doctor sing in what sounds like Gallifreyan. The notes are comforting and his voice delicately slides from one note to the next with ease, hardly ever breathing. I look up to see Rose's eyes are open. I slowly slide my hand to her hip where the slightest bit of skin is showing. As soon as I touch her a wave of love smacks me, taking my breath away. It's hot and fuzzy and suffocating and amazing and all directed at the Doctor. I grin as I snuggle into her arms and the Doctor continues to sing to us. Relief also fills me, because I know that no matter how sad Rose may be about Mickey, she'll always have The Doctor to make her feel loved again.

"Wolfe? Wolfe?" I wake to the gentle tapping of someone on my shoulder. I roll over, acutely aware of the fact Rose and The Doctor are no longer here.

"Wolfe?"

"Yes?" I murmur opening my eyes.

"Time to wake up." Grins The Doctor.

"I'm sleepy." I mumble, rolling back over

"Oh no you don't" The Doctor tugs me back, and pulls me into sitting position. I slump onto his shoulder, and close my eyes again.

"Come on." He says, offering me a cup of tea.

I take it and sip it, as it is very hot.

The taste is bitter, but not unlikeably so. I take another sip.

I can feel myself waking up very quickly now.

"What's in this?" I ask

"Two sugars. It's just a nice cup of English breakfast. I find a nice cuppa always helps me after I regenerate." He explains and I smile, taking a bigger sip.

"How's Rose?" I ask

"Better." He answers, "How are you?"

"Good. Still sore." I say, flexing my shoulder blades slightly as if to emphasize my point.

"I meant after losing Mickey and all." Elaborates the Doctor. I turn to look at him, and his deep brown eyes are melting with sympathy.

"Yes. Mickey was a good friend and he will be missed," I start, "But I can keep going with him in my memory. I just can't without you and Rose. I know you keep telling me to stop trying to save Rose when I see a vision of her death, but I can't help it. When you were going to die, to save us on the Zeppelin, I didn't think I just jumped."

"I know. Just try to stay safer. Timelords have a limited number of regenerations, and you're half human so we don't know how that works. You may have more you may have less."

"I know but I would give up my life for you two in a heartbeat." I say, firmly, trying to get him to understand me.

"I know." He hugs me closer "I would do the same for you both."

I let the silence hang there, still sipping my tea.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Rose appears in the doorway. "Oh good Sleeping Beauty is up!" grins Rose

"How long was I out?" I ask

"Two ish days." Rose grins as she comes over, sitting on the end of the bed.

"Two days?" I demand, shocked

"You needed to heal. I am surprised you were able to wake up and function the first time but after that…you just needed to give your cells time to figure out what's going on." The Doctor soothes.

"Did you go travelling without me?" I ask, worried

"No." laughs Rose "I've just finished packing some other stuff, such as the other Harry Potter Novels. Mum's disappointed. I think she kinda hoped I'd stick around after I broke down in her arms, but I need to go travel. It's what Mickey wanted us to do."

She smiles at me, her eyes wavering

"Alright then, when do we leave?" I ask

"We were hoping after breakfast." Grins the Doctor

"Where are we going?" I ask as I get up

"Rose's pick!" Grins The Doctor, taking the empty teacup from my hand

"Breakfast!" yells Jackie from a different room.

We rush in to find the table full of food.

"Thank you Jackie!" I grin, sitting down

"Well it's not often I get to see my daughter, now is it? Might as well spoil all of you!" Smiles Jackie as Rose and the Doctor sit down too.

We dig into the delicious mix of breakfast foods

"So Rose, where do you want to go?" The Doctor asks as Jackie turns on the radio.

"I don't know." Grins Rose, eyes bright with all of the possibilities.

We continue eating as we try to give Rose ideas.

"Barcelona?"

"No." she says, thoughtfully

"Back to New Earth?"

She shudders "No."

Suddenly, with a laugh The Doctor gets up and cranks up the radio. I don't recognize the song but it's very upbeat.

Suddenly the Doctor starts dancing, and singing along.

Rose bursts out laughing.

He grabs her hands and tugs her up to dance with him during a guitar solo.

"You can burn my house, steal my car, drink my liquor, from an old fruit jar, do anything that you want to do, but uh-uh, honey lay off of my shoes, and don't you, step on my blue suede shoes!" He sings along with the voice on the radio. He and Rose swing around the kitchen, twirling her this way and that ash she laughs, singing along slightly "Well, you can do anything, But stay off of my blue suede shoes, Ah, get!"

They dance more during the next guitar solo, the Doctor doing an air guitar

"Yeah, well, it's one for the money, Two for the show, Three to get ready

Now go, go, go! But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes. Well, you can do anything but stay off of my blue suede shoes!"

The song ends and they're breathless with laughter

"And that's Elvis Presley, Blue Suede Shoes!" The Radio announces

When Rose catches her breath she gives The Doctor a light shove

"As I said, you're a big old Punk with a bit of Rockabillly thrown in!" she laughs "and I think I know where I want to go!"

After a very tearful goodbye, Rose, The Doctor and I pile into The Tardis.

"Well, Rose, you've kept it a secret! Where do you want to go?" Asks the Doctor

"Let's go see Elvis!" she grins

"Ah, excellent choice!" He crows, pressing a few buttons, before yanking down on a lever "America, here we come!"

With its familiar wheezing sound the Tardis dematerializes.

"So, we'll be there in about an hour. Not to far away." The Doctor says, "You might want to go get ready, think Elvis era." He winks

"You better work on your costumes as well, you know!" grins Rose. "Come on Wolfe, let's go get ready." She takes my and we hurry to her room.

"Come on, Tardis, give us something fun!" giggles Rose.

She opens her closet and it's covered in bright pastel dresses and jean jackets, fishnet stockings and matching heels.

"This is brilliant." I grin

"Wolfe, go to your closet and pick something out, then come back here!"

I turn and hurry to my room, opening my closet. I pull out a baby blue pastel dress and a dark jean jacket. I find a pair of matching baby blue heels and ribbon.

I rush back to Rose and find she's picked out the same outfit, but her dress, shoes and headband are bubble gum pink.

Giggling like mad, we zip each other's dresses on, and do each other's hair.

Rose curled my long hair and tugged it up in a high ponytail, tying it with the ribbon in a bow.

Then, we wrapped her hair around her head, adding a time period-esque bulge at the back, and secure it with bobbi pins and a headband.

Finally, after much help from Rose, I get my fishnet stockings on and little heels.

I giggle as she hands me a pair of blue sunglasses.

"You look brilliant." I say to her when she spins for me to see the whole look together.

"You too! Come on, let's go see what the Doctor has put together." She takes my hand and we hurry back to the console room, which is empty.

"I think we landed." I say, peering out the door. I giggle as I step outside, Rose following me. She brushes a strand of hair from her eyes as she walks out onto the street, looking around.

"I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era, you know, the white flares and the..." she growls seductively "chest hair."

I burst out laughing and The Doctor pokes his head round the Tardis door, his head gelled back, teddy-boy style.

"You are kidding, aren't you?" he asks and Rose turns around "You wanna see Elvis, you go in the late 50's! The time before burgers." He disappears back inside, still yelling "When they called him "the Pelvis" and he still had a waist." Rose laughs. "What's more, you see him in style!"

Rose and I look at the Tardis with interest as the distinct sound of an engine echoes from within it. Then the Doctor rides out of the Tardis on a blue late-50's moped, with a small, matching sidecar. Rose laughs in amusement as the Doctor stops, big sunglasses and a white helmet on his head.

The Doctor pulls an Elvis-style expression and voice "You goin' my way, dolls?" he asks and I giggle

Rose puts her pink sunglasses "Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?" she answers, with an American accent. She walks towards the moped "Straight from the fridge, man!" She continues

"Hey, you speak the lingo!" the Doctor gasps, delighted

He tosses her a pink version of his helmet, and he tosses me a small blue one. We catch them and put them on.

"Yeah well... me, mum, Cliff Richard movies every Bank Holiday Monday."

She helps me into the Moped sidecar before she sits behind The Doctor on the moped, wrapping her arms around his chest, as he pulls an "I knew it! " face.

"Ah, Cliff! I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan." He sighs

We drive off down the street.

"Where we off to?" I ask the Doctor over the noise of the engine

"Ed Sullivan TV Studios, Elvis did 'Hound Dog' on one of the shows, there were loads of complaints. Bit of luck, we'll just catch it." He says, cheerily

"And that'll be TV studios in, what, New York?" Rose asks

"That's the one!" The Doctor answers

A red London bus drives past the end of the street, and the Doctor stops. I spot a red post box and Union flag bunting hanging from rooftop to rooftop. The Doctor looks bemused, and Rose laughs it off.

"Digging that New York vibe!" she teases

"Well... this could still be New York, I mean this looks very New York to me... sort of... Londony New York, mind…" The Doctor defends, weakly, amusement glowing in his face

"What are all the flags for?" I ask

"No idea." Shrugs Rose

"How about we park this thing and go find out, yeah?" the Doctor says, pulling the moped over.

"Let's" Giggles Rose

We climb out of the moped, leaving our helmets inside the side car.


	37. Chapter 37

_We climb out of the moped, leaving our helmets inside the side car._

"Looks like we're about in central London. I can't quite get the year…" the Doctor trails off as we look around. We see a van and an older, heavyset man throws open the doors to his van. Two errand boys take out a television and carry it into a house. The house owner looks on.

"There you go, sir, all wired up for the great occasion." The older man says, proudly

"The great occasion? What d'you mean?" The Doctor asks, curious as we walk closer

"Where've you been living, out in the Colonies? Coronation, of course." Answers the man

"What Coronation's that, then?" The Doctor continues, still not sure where in time we are

"What d'you mean? The Coronation." The man answers, scathingly, as if it should be obvious.

The Doctor looks blank, turns to Rose for help.

"The Queen's." Rose answers, like it's obvious "Queen Elizabeth!"

"Oh! Oh, is this 1953?" The Doctor gasps

"Last time I looked. Time for a lovely bit of pomp and circumstance, what we do best." The man says, somewhat rudely

"Look at all the TV aerials... looks like everyone's got one." I say, pointing to the chimneys nearby

"That's weird, my nan said tellies were so rare they all had to pile into one house." Rose tells us with a frown

"Not round here, love. Magpie's Marvellous Tellies, only five quid a box." The man boasts, gesturing to his van

The Doctor has wandered a short way round the street, thinking. He suddenly cuts in, all smiles and energy.

"Oh but this is a brilliant year! Classic! Technicolour, Everest climbed, everything off the ration!" he pauses, before continuing with a typically BBC English accent "The Nation throwing off the shadows of war and looking forward to a happier, brighter future!"

Rose and I laugh. Suddenly, a woman's shouts are heard.

"Someone help me, please! Ted!" we look over and a man with a blanket over his head is being bundled into a black police car by two suited men. The Doctor, Rose and I run over.

"Leave him alone, it's my husband!" The woman continues, distressed

"What's going on?" The Doctor asks her

The blanketed man is pushed into the back seat as a young boy runs out of a house across the street. He's about 13, maybe 14.

"Oi, what are you doing?" he cries

One of the suited men addresses the Doctor.

"Police business, now get out of the way, sir!"

"Who did they take, do you know him?" Rose asks the boy

"Must be Mr Gallagher..." he answers, looking despairingly as the car drives off, leaving Mrs Gallagher in despair.

"It's happening all over the place. They're turning into monsters..." Tommy continues

A heavyset, mustached man storms out of the house the boy came from. "Tommy! Not one word!" he yells

Rose and the Doctor look at the man.

"Get inside now!" continues the man

"Sorry, I'd better do as he says..." apologizes the boy, Tommy, before running back to his house.

Mrs Gallagher is still sobbing, but the Doctor puts on his sunglasses again and runs over to the moped and kicks it into life.

"All aboard!" He yells and we pile in.

The black car hurtles round a corner. We come round the corner on the moped and stop short of the market stall.

"Lost 'em! How'd they get away from us?" The Doctor asks, confused

"Surprised they didn't turn back and arrest you for reckless driving, have you actually passed your test?" Rose pants, and I am still catching my breath from The Doctor's driving skills.

"Men in black? Vanishing police cars? This is Churchill's England, not Stalin's Russia!" The Doctor snorts, not listening to Rose

"Monsters, that boy said..." I murmured, picturing him. "Tommy."

The Doctor and Rose both turn to look at me.

Rose's eyes gleam with something, perhaps amusement.

"Maybe we should go and ask the neighbors." Rose suggests

"That's what I like about you. The domestic approach." The Doctor sweetly compliments

"Thank you..."smiles Rose. She thinks about it as the Doctor kicks the moped back into life "Hold on, was that an insult...?"

But we're off again.

We speed back to the street where Tommy lives and park.

"Doctor, perhaps we should decide on what our covers are before we knock on anyone's door?" Suggests Rose

"It's fine as I said I make it up brilliantly!"

"but-" he rings the doorbell to Tommy's house

Tommy's father answers the door.

"Hiiiiii!" The three of us chorus

The man regards us suspiciously, as Tommy lurks in the background. "Who are you, then?" he asks, gruffly

"Let's see then, judging by the look of you, family man, nice house, decent wage, fought in the war, therefore, I represent Queen and country!" The Doctor holds up the psychic paper with a flourish. "Just doing a little check of Her Majesty's forthcoming subjects for the great day. Don't mind if I come in? Nah, didn't think you did, thank you!" He barges past the man before he can protest while Rose and I follow suit. We all go into the living room.

"Not bad, very nice! Very well kept! I'd like to congratulate you, Mrs...?" The Doctor continues his loud act

"Connolly." Murmurs the mousy woman

"Now then Rita, I can handle this. This gentleman's a proper representative!" grins the man

The Doctor gives Rita, who looks terrified, a wink. Rose perches herself on the arm of a chair. I keep trying to get to Tommy to ask him about the 'mosnters' but the man keeps blocking my path.

"Don't mind the wife, she rattles on a bit." He dismisses Rita

"Well, maybe she should rattle on a bit more." The Doctor responds, slightly rudely.

Tommy and Eddie both look shocked. The Doctor continues, unfazed.

"I'm not convinced you're doing your patriotic duty." He glances briefly at the flags around the room, waiting to be put up. "Nice flags. Why are they not flying?"

"There we are Rita, I told you, get them up, Queen and country!" the man chastises his wife

The Doctor looks skeptical, and begins to move over to the man.

"I'm sorry..." Rita murmurs, looking scared

"Get it done! Do it now." The man yells and I glare at him

"Hold on a minute..." The Doctor starts

"Like the gentleman says." The man continues at his cowering wife

"Hold on a minute. You've got hands, Mr Connolly. Two big hands! Why is that your wife's job?" The Doctor asks

"It's housework, innit?" Mr. Connolly responds, eyes narrowed

"And that's a woman's job?" Rose double checks

"Course it is!" admonishes Mr. Connolly

"Mr Connolly, what gender is the Queen?" The Doctor asks him

"She's a female." Answers Mr. Connolly, growing increasingly defensive

"And are you suggesting the Queen does the housework?" finishes the Doctor

A small smile grows on Tommy's face as he watches the Doctor win the confrontation, as Mr. Connolly inevitably gives in to logic after a hesitation. Even Rita seems a little heartened by her husband's humiliation.

"No! Not at all!" gasps Mr. Connolly.

The Doctor hands Eddie a string of flags, giving him an insistent stare. "Then get busy." The Doctor growls

"Right, yes sir." Mr. Connolly sets about hanging the flags, feigning enthusiasm. Neither the Doctor, Tommy or Rose seem fooled.

"You'll be proud of us, sir! We'll have Union Jacks left, right and center!" he exclaims

Rose suddenly rises, hands on hips, as the Doctor slowly paces back across the room. I use this excuse to edge towards Tommy

"'Scuse me, Mr Connolly, hang on a minute! Union Jacks?" Rose questions

Mr. Connolly, pausing in his work to look at her, responds "Yes, that's right, isn't it?"

"That's the Union Flag. It's the Union Jack only when it's flown at sea." Rose says, sounding quite annoyed

Tommy's smile grows into a grin, causing his dimples to show, as Mr. Connolly tries to humble himself.

"Oh... oh, I'm sorry, I do apologize!"

"Well, don't get it wrong again, there's a good man." She grins widely "Now get to it!" she adds

Eddie hastily gets back to work, and Rose gives the Doctor a coy smile. Even he looks slightly bewildered. Rose and the Doctor both sit on the sofa, making themselves comfortable and grinning.

"Right then! Nice and comfy, at Her Majesty's leisure!" The Doctor announces, motioning forme to come sit between them and as I to, he leans over to Rose "Union Flag?" he whispers

"Mum went out with a sailor." Hisses Rose

"Oohohohoo! I bet she did!" chortles the Doctor, quietly

"Anyway, I'm the Doctor, this is Rose, this is Wolfe and you are?" He looks at Tommy, who seems surprised to be noticed.

"Tommy." He answers and we shift aside, making a space for Tommy to sit in between The Doctor and I.

"Well, sit yourself down, Tommy."

The Doctor the other chair, motioning for Rita to sit too. They all look at the television.

"Have a look at this. I love telly, don't you?" I smile at Tommy,

"Yeah, I think it's brilliant!" Tommy grins

"Good man!" The Doctor says

We watch the programme, apparently about fossils, silently for a few moments before the Doctor turns around to check on Mr. Connolly, who is still hanging the flags.

"Keep working Mr C!"

Suddenly, he turns to Rita, dropping the cheerful act and speaking quietly, so that Mr. Connolly does not hear.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?" he murmurs

"Did you say you were a doctor?" Rita asks, worried

"Yes I am." He answers

"Can you help her?" asks Rita, tears in her voice "Oh please, can you help her, Doctor?" Mr. Connolly overhears this last part of the conversation, and interrupts.

"Now then Rita, I don't think the gentleman needs to know..." he starts

"No, the gentleman does!" The Doctor interrupts him

Rita begins to cry, and Rose moves forward on her seat to address her.  
"Tell us what's wrong, and we can help."

Rita's sobs grow louder, and she just shakes her head helplessly. Rose goes over and wraps a comforting arm around her, and the Doctor watches with a concerned frown.

"I'm sorry, come on, come on..." Murmurs Rose

"Hold on a minute!" cries Mr. Connolly "Queen and country's one thing, but this is my house!" He looks down at the flags in his hands, chucking them down. The Doctor props his head on his forearm and balled fist, appearing calm but giving the distinct impression that he's restraining himself.

"What the... what the hell am I doing? Now you listen here, Doctor! You may have fancy qualifications, but what goes on under my roof is my business!" Mr. Connolly yells

"All the people are being bundled into..." The Doctor starts

"I am talking!" Shouts Mr. Connolly

The Doctor stands, raising his voice even louder than Mr. Connolly's and literally spitting in his face as he looms over him.

"And I'm not listening! Now you, Mr Connolly, are staring into a deep, dark PIT of trouble if you don't let me help."

I have never seen the Doctor so angry, and Mr. Connolly is clearly shaken, and both Tommy and Rita look scared again, unsure how to react. Rose still holds onto Rita, giving her reassurance.

"So I'm ordering you, sir, to tell me what's going on!" Continues the Doctor, still yelling

Mr. Connolly tries to think of something to say, but is stopped by the sound of banging coming from upstairs. His eyes and the Doctor's roll upwards, Tommy looks around nervously, and Rita sighs and shakes her head. I look up in confusion

"She won't stop." Mr. Connolly says, sounding scared

The banging continues, louder this time.

"She never stops."

Tommy looks terrified so I go over and gently put my hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, Tommy finds the confidence to explain in a slightly shaky voice, and the Doctor turns to regard him. As he speaks, Rita looks upset and embarrassed, and Eddie guiltily tries to regain some composure.

"We started hearing stories, all round the place. People who've... changed. Families keeping it secret 'cause they were scared. The police started finding out. We don't know how, no one does. They just... turn up, come to the door and take 'em. Any time of the day or night." Tommy swallows awkwardly

"Show us." The Doctor tells him

Tommy leads Rose, The Doctor and I upstairs. He goes to an old wooden door and opens it, the door creaking loudly as he does. Tommy peeks around it cautiously.

"Gran? It's Tommy." He opens the door wider, allowing us see inside the darkened room. "'S all right Gran, I've brought help."

His Gran is standing by the window, a silhouette moving slowly towards them. Tommy steps a little further inside the room. He turns on the light, and we see that she has no face, all the features are gone, and it is smoothed over. Rose gulps, and the Doctor simply stares with a furrowed brow. The Doctor peers at the blank face. Rose stands near him, Tommy and Rita are close together behind the Doctor, and Mr. Connolly remains completely outside of the room with a grim expression.


	38. Chapter 38

_Rose stands near him, Tommy and Rita are close together behind the Doctor, and Mr. Connolly remains completely outside of the room with a grim expression._

"Her face is completely gone." Gasps The Doctor. He scans it with the sonic screwdriver, and Rose still looks uneasy.

"Scarcely an electrical impulse left. Almost complete neural shutdown, she's ticking over, like her brain has been... wiped clean." He puts the sonic screwdriver away, but still examines her face.

"What're we gonna do, Doctor? We can't even feed her!" Tommy bursts out, looking very worried for his Gran. I walk over and he looks at me "She can't die. Is there something you could do?"

"I don't know." I answer quietly "But I will do everything I can." I promise

"Thank you." He answers, and I pat him on the shoulder.

We are interrupted by the crash of someone entering the house.

"We've got company..." Rose says, grimly

"It's them, they've come for her" cries Rita

Mr. Connolly appears to be the only one pleased by this.

"What was she doing before this happened? Where was she?" demands The Doctor

Rita hesitates as the policemen clamber up the stairs.

"Tell me, quickly, think!" yells The Doctor

"I can't think! She doesn't leave the house! She was just..." Tommy is cut off by the entrance of a big, burly man and some supporting officers. The Doctor tries to buy some time.

'Hold on a minute! There are three important, brilliant, and complicated reasons why you should listen to me. One..." Much to our horror, the burly man punches the Doctor in the face, hard. He collapses, unconscious. "Doctor!" Rose and I chorus. I leave Tommy's side and dive for the Doctor, my hand on his quickly swelling cheek. The men take the opportunity to throw a blanket over Tommy's gran and usher her to the stairs.

"Doctor, wake up!" orders Rose as I shake him, and eventually resort to slapping him across the face

"Leave her alone!" Rita cries, but the men barge Rita aside, leaving Tommy to catch her. Mr. Connolly just pushes the men away, encouraging them to leave quicker.

They all go down the stairs apart from Rose and I who are left trying to rouse the Doctor.

"Mum!" I hear Rita yell

"Doctor! Doctor!" I beg

"Don't hurt her!" Rita yells

"Back inside, Rita!" I hear Mr. Connolly yell

"She's my mother!" sobs Rita

 **"** Back inside now, I said!" Mr. Connolly orders

Rose still slaps the Doctor's cheeks, and he suddenly sits up as if nothing had happened.

"Ah, hell of a right hook! Have to watch out for that!" He quickly stands and bolts down the stairs. Rose and I struggle to run after him, in our heels. We arrive in time to see the Doctor push past Mr. Connolly and run to the moped. Eddie restrains Tommy and Rita.

"Rose, Wolfe come on!" yells The Doctor

Rose and I pause at the entrance to the living room, noticing red, buzzing tendrils of electricity coming out of the television. T "But Dad, they took her!" Tommy yells,

"Wolfe!" The Doctor urgently calls out again, "Wolfe, we're gonna lose them again!"

"Nice to meet you Tommy, Mrs Connolly. And as for you, Mr Connolly, only an idiot hangs the Union Flag upside-down. Shame on you!" I grin cheerfully before I run out of the house.

Rose pauses at something behind me, but I keep going and I hop into the side car.

"Rose!" The Doctor urgently calls out again, "Rose, we're gonna lose them again!"

She doesn't show, and after a moment, the Doctor gives up waiting for her and rides off on his scooter, in pursuit of the car.

We ride at top speed, and I am holding on for dear life as we screech around corners following the car. We skid to a stop in front of the same barricade as before, the men still sweeping the hay, just as they were several hours earlier, as its now nightfall.

"Ooh, very clever." Grins the Doctor as we slow down "Do you see Wolfe?"

I look at the wall and the Doctor's grin in confusion for a second before it dawns on me.

"It's not a normal wall. It's an entrance. A secret entrance to hide away the people who lose their faces!" I whisper to him.

"Very good!" He compliments. "Now let's go see what's behind it!"

We drive the moped down the next street and park it in an abandoned alley.

I follow the Doctor as we creep back around the street walls, looking for a way in.

"Here Doctor." I hiss as I catch sight of a red panel no taller than I am on the wall. It looks like a maintenance entrance.

"Well done." The Doctor grins, and he discreetly unlocks it with his sonic.

"Follow me." He says as he ducks and shuffles in. I follow him down the rusty hall until he is able to straighten up. He sonics open another door and we're now in a brick and metal building. We walk lightly down another corridor before the sound of metal unlocking ahead makes us hurry and peek through a partly open door. A heavier set man is following a very professional, tall thin man amongst rows of metal cages. They leave the dimly lit room and the Doctor and I go in, heading towards the cage they just exited. We are careful to avoid the few patches of light in the room. I stumble backwards when I see that the cage is full of people, all of the faceless like Tommy's Gran. I cover my mouth to hid my squeak of horror as the Doctor grimly opens the cage door with his sonic. He slowly removes the chain and we enter, walking along a small corridor within the cage before unlocking another cage, full of faceless humans. There have to be at least forty of them, all milling about like cattle.

I whimper as they start to press the Doctor and I against the bars of the cage.

Suddenly a bright light shines on us and a loud voice booms "Stay where you are!"

They restrain us with rope and lead us out of the cages and down a few more corridors until we reach an office. One of the men, a soldier of some sort, holds onto my shoulders, while the other sits the Doctor down, unties him and begins interrogation.

I wriggle in the uncomfortable ropes.

"Doctor-" I start

"Silence." Hisses the man interrogating the Doctor and I fall silent.

"Start from the beginning tell me everything you know." demands the man, glaring at the Doctor.

"Well, for starters," the Doctor says, not at all fazed by what is happening " I know you can't wrap her hands around you elbow and make your fingers meet." He says, straight faced to the man.

I snort with laughter

"Don't you get clever with me!" orders the man, annoyed "You were there at Forizel Street and now you're breaking into this establishment! Oh, you're connected with this, make no mistake!"

"Well the thing is, detective Inspector Bishop-" Starts the Doctor

" How do you know my name?" demands the man

"It's written inside your collar." Answers the Doctor.

The Detective Inspector, straightens his collar, trying to keep some dignity.

"Bless your Mum." The Doctor starts talking again "but I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly doing much detective-inspecting, are you?"

"I am doing everything in my power-" The man starts, looking annoyed

"All you're doing is grabbing those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can. Don't tell me it's orders from above." The Doctor looks up, dramatically. "Coronation Day, the eyes of the world are on London Town, so any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight."

"The nation has an image to maintain." The Detective Inspector tries to defend his actions feebly.

"But doesn't it drive you mad, doing nothing?" the Doctor asks, leaning forward "Don't you want to get out there and investigate?"

"Course I Do." Answers the Detective Inspector "But with all the crowds expected, we haven't got the manpower." He sinks into his chair, "Even if we did, this is beyond anything we've ever seen." He looks down in defeat. "I just don't know anymore." He raises his head to look at the Doctor. "Twenty years on the force, and I don't even know where to start."

The Doctor leans forward, crossing his arms

The DI continues "We haven't the faintest clue what's going on."

"Well, that could change." The Doctor answers

"How?" demands the DI

"Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know." The Doctor says, as he stands. "and I need you to untie my daughter. She's only a little girl and does not deserve to be tied up."

My chest fills with warmth at his words.

"You are in no position to be making demands." The man says, weakly

"Oh yes I am." The Doctor says, leaning close to the DI's face "Because I'm the Doctor and the only chance you have of figuring out what's happening to these people."

There is a pause, before the DI mutters "Untie the girl."

The man holding me unties the rope. I flex my wrists for a moment, before running over to the Doctor. He scoops me up and sits me on his lap.

"As I said before, Start from the beginning and tell me everything you know." The Doctor orders.

"We started finding them about a month ago. Persons left sans visage." The DI indicates to a map, where red dots are placed all over it, indicating to where the people were found.

"Heads just…blank" The DI continues, as the Doctor sets me down and walks over to stand beside him, studying the map.

"Is there any sort of pattern?" asks the Doctor as he turns around and starts digging through the files.

"It's spreading out from North London, all over the city. Men, women, kids, grannies. The only real lead is there's been quite a large number in-"

"Florizel street." Chorus the DI and the Doctor

There is a knock at the door, and it opens.

"Found another one, sir." A police man says, bringing in a blanket covered figure. My stomach flips as I see a familiar pink voluminous skirt with matching pink shoes.

"Oh, er, good man, Crabtree. Here we are, Doctor..." the Detective inspector says

The Doctor drops the files on the table and walks slowly towards the woman, not wanting to believe it.

"Take a good look. See what you can deduce." Detective inspector Bishop says,

The policeman takes the blanket off the woman's head.

The Doctor's eyes widen with horror as he approaches her.

Tears build in my eyes, my voice failing me.

"Rose." The Doctor murmurs, sounding broken.


	39. Chapter 39

_Tears build in my eyes, my voice failing me._ _"Rose." The Doctor murmurs, sounding broken._

"Doctor. Is she-" I choke on my own words.

"Do you know her?" asks Detective inspector Bishop

"Know her? I…She..." the Doctor's voice fails him. He goes right up close to her, staring down at her featureless face. Horror, guilt and loss written all over his face. I walk close, hiding slightly behind the Doctor's suit.

"They found her in the street, apparently, over at Master Square, `abandoned." The police informs Detective inspector Bishop

"That's unusual, that's the first one out in the open. Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day, we'll have Torchwood on our back, make no mistake." Groans Detective inspector Bishop

The Doctor is gazing down at Rose, heartbroken.

"They did what?" growls the Doctor

"I'm sorry?" the police offer asks

"They left her where?" The Doctor's voice is fighting to remain calm, his teeth grit

"Just... in the street." Answers Detective inspector Bishop

"In the street." Repeats the Doctor. "They left her in the street. They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street." His voice is getting increasingly loud. "And as a result, that makes things... simple. Very, very simple. Do you know why?" his voice softens back down to dangerously controlled again.

He finally tears his gaze away from Rose's face, and takes his glasses off, turning to the two men.

"No..." Detective inspector Bishop says, lost

The Doctor's eyes are a raging color I have never seen and his spittle flies everywhere and his eyes bulge as he screams in fury

"Because now, Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this Earth that can stop me. Come on!" And without a moments hesitation, he makes for the door. The Detective inspector and I bolt after him as he bursts out of the gates into the dawn sunlight. We climb into a car.

"The big day dawns..." Murmurs the Detective inspector

The Doctor does not reply.

We drive to the Connolly's house and ring the doorbell

Tommy opens the door. His gaze looks from the Detective inspector

To the Doctor and finally to me.

"Tommy, talk to me." The Doctor orders and Tommy steps outside the door, closing it behind him.

"I need to know exactly what happened inside your house." The Doctor says

Suddenly Mr. Connolly pulls the door open violently and rounds on Tommy.

"What the blazes do you think you're doing?" he growls

"I wanna help, dad." Tommy says, stepping towards me

"Mr. Connolly..." the Doctor starts, warningly, not in any state of mind to deal with the man

"Shut your face, you. Whoever you are. We can handle this ourselves." He turns back to Tommy "Listen you, little twerp. You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain." I wince and we all stay silent, watching "People round here respect me. It matters what people think."

"Is that why you did it, dad?" Tommy challenges his father

"What d'you mean? Did what?  
"You ratted on Gran. How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them..." Tommy yells

"How dare you? You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?" roars Mr. Connolly

"You don't get it, do you? You fought against fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could do what we want. Say what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect your precious reputation!" Tommy yells at him

Rita has heard. She joins them.

"Eddie... is that true?" she asks him, softly

"I did it for US, Rita! She was filthy. A filthy, disgusting thing." Growls Mr. Connolly

"She's my mother. All the others, you informed on all the people in our street, our friends." Rita says, horrified

"I had to." He flails slightly "I did the right thing...!"

"The right thing for us... or for you, Eddie?" demands Rita.

Mr. Connolly stares at her.

Rita turns to Tommy. "You go, Tommy. You go with the Doctor and do some good. Get away from this house. It's poison. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!"

Close to tears, she goes back inside, slamming the door on Mr. Connolly's face.

Tommy the Doctor, D.I. Bishop, and I walk away down the street, leaving Mr. Connolly alone, locked outside his house

"Tommy, tell me about that night. The night she changed." Orders The Doctor

"She was just watching the telly." Starts Tommy

"Rose said it. She guessed it straight away, of course she did. All these aerials in one little street, how come?" The Doctor realizes

"There's a bloke up the road, Mr Magpie, he's selling them cheap" Tommy Says and the Doctor's off, running down the road.

"Is he, now?" D.I. Bishop asks Tommy

"Come on!" yells the Doctor from up ahead

By the time we get to the shop, The Doctor's already smashed the glass in Magpie's door in order to gain entry to the shop.

"You can't do that..." starts D.I. Bishop

The Doctor ignores him. He's already opened the door and is striding to the counter.

"Shop?"he yells and presses the bell on the counter repeatedly. He shouts to the back of the shop.

"If you're here, come out and talk to me! MAGPIE?" He yells

"Maybe he's out." Suggests Tommy

"Looks like it..." The Doctor starts rifling through the drawers behind the counter. He finds the device that looks like a cross between a portable radio and TV.

"Oh, hello... this isn't right. This is very much not right."

He licks it, much to the surprise of Tommy and Bishop.

"Tastes like iron. Bakelite." I open my mouth to scold him but roll my eyes instead.

He places it down on the counter.

"Put together with human hands, yes, but the design itself..." He scans it with his sonic screwdriver. "Oh, beautiful work. That is so simple."

"That's incredible. It's like a television, but portable. A portable television!" gasps D.I. Bishop

The Doctor raises his sonic screwdriver, points it around the room, the televisions turn on to static.

"It's not the only power source in this room..." The Doctor says, confused

As the screwdriver whirrs, the static gradually fades away and on each screen is a different face, the faces of the people who were taken by the Woman. The all look terrified, mouthing pleas for help. The Doctor looks around at them, brow furrowed. Tommy notices his gran's face in one. "Gran?" He looks horrified.

"Rose." I gasp at the same time as the Doctor, who, had obviously been looking for her.

She is mouthing "Doctor, Doctor" over and over again. He kneels before the screen, looking both sad and intense.

"I'm on my way." He promises her, quietly

"What do you think you're doing?" demands Magpie.

I duck behind the Doctor

"I want my friend restored and I think that's beyond a little backstreet electrician so tell me, who's really in charge here?" Roars the Doctor, furious.

Magpie flinches at his anger.

"Yoohoo! I think that must be me." The woman appears on one of the screens. The Doctor turns to her, surprised.

"Ooh, this one's smart as paint." She smirks

The Doctor approaches the woman

"Doctor be careful." I warn

"Aww, look at the little girl." Mocks the Woman

"Is she talking to us?" gasps D.I. Bishop

"Sorry gentlemen, I'm... I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves. May I introduce you to my new... friend." Magpie says, eyes downcast

"Jolly nice to meet you." Chuckles the woman

"Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly." Gasps D.I. Bishop

"No, it's just using her image." The Doctor answers

"What... what are you?" asks Tommy

"I'm the Wire, and I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel. And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow-kind denied me." The screen gradually colorizes.

"Good Lord, color television!" gaps D.I. Bishop

"So your own people tried to stop you?" The Doctor asks

"They executed me. But I escaped, in this form, and fled across the stars." She boasts

"And now you're trapped in the television." Mocks the Doctor

The smirk fades from the Wire's face, and with it, the color from the television.

"Not for much longer." She growls

"Is this what got my Gran?" Tommy asks, taking it surprisingly well. At least better than D.I. Bishop.

"Yes, Tommy. It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it gorges itself like a great overfed pig. Taking people's faces, their essences, it stuffs itself."

"And you let her do it, Magpie." D.I. Bishop finally speaks

"I had to! She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation." Magpie responds

"What does that mean?" asks Tommy

"The appointed time, my crowning glory." Cackles the Wire

"Doctor, the coronation!" I gasp

"For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set." The Doctor approaches her, gloating. "But you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here. That's why you need this!" He produces the portable television. "You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."

"What a clever thing you are! But why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me, you'll be glued to the screen." I realize what she is about to do and shove Tommy to the floor. Lines of red sparking light suddenly pull D.I. Bishop, The Doctor and my face into the Wire's TV

"Doctor!" I cry

"Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah! This one is tasty. Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!" I hear the wire shriek.

I try to pull my face away, catching sight of The Doctor slowly pulling out his sonic screwdriver, with effort.

"Armed! He's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!"

She severs the connection between herself and us, and all four of us fall to the floor, unconscious.


	40. Chapter 40

_She severs the connection between herself and us, and all three of us fall to the floor, unconscious._

"Wolfe? Wake up! Wolfe? Come on!" my eyes snap open and I look up to see Tommy kneeling above me.

I never noticed until right now what beautiful brown-green eyes he has.

"What happened?" I murmur as he helps me up.

I catch sight of D.I. Bishop, his face gone.

"Oh no." I say

"Doctor, get up!" I see Tommy shaking the Doctor, who thankfully still has a face.

"Doctor." I say, crawling over.

His eyes snap open "Where's Magpie?"

Tommy and I look at each other in horror, having not even remembered him.

We all run outside the shop and see Magpie has gone.

"We don't even know where to start looking, it's too late." Tommy mourns

"It's never too late, as a wise person once said, Kylie I think... But the Wire's got a big plan... so it'll need... Yes, yes, yes, it's got to harness half the population... millions and millions of people... and where are we?" The Doctor turns to look at Tommy

"Muswell Hill" Answers Tommy

"Muswell Hill. Muswell Hill! Which means... "He looks around until he spots a large building on the horizon and gestures at it with both hands. "Alexandra Palace, biggest TV transmitter in North London! Ohh! That's why they chose this place! Tommy? Wolfe?"

"What are you going to do?" I ask

"We're going shopping." He cries as he dashes inside the shop

We follow, still bewildered

The Doctor starts grabbing things, his arms overflowing.

"Tommy grab the red thing with the shiny things that goes bleep." Orders the Doctor

Tommy holds up a device. "Is this what you want?"

"Perfect! Right, I need one more thing." He gives the equipment to Tommy and I, and ducks into the back of the shop before reappearing again.

"Come on!"

We run out on the streets, all of us loaded with equipment. We run down a street, the Doctor plugging a device into Tommy's huge equipment bank that he is carrying.

"Doctor do you want to stop to do this?" pants Tommy

"No time." The Doctor answers

We keep running I look up at the building we're running at. As I do, I catch sight of Magpie on the pylon.

"There!" I point to him and the Doctor looks up, seeing what I saw.

"Come on!"

An official at the door holds up his hand to stop us "Woah, Woah, woah! Where do you think..."

The Doctor shows him his psychic paper.

"Oh! I'm sorry sir! Shouldn't you be at the coronation?"

"They're saving me a seat." The Doctor explains and the official nods confusedly.

"Who did he think you were?" pants Tommy after we round a corner

"King of Belgium, apparently." The Doctor answers, looking at the psychic paper in surprise.

The Doctor dashes around gathering the equipment he needs, Tommy is in front of a video machine and television screen.

"Keep it switched on. Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?" Tommy nods.

"Doctor, what about me?" I ask as he rushes around

"Stay here and help Tommy."

"I should go with you!" I argue

"Stay with Tommy!" he orders "Tommy you protect her, you hear me?"

"Yes sir!" Tommy yells back

The Doctor sprints back around the corner.

"You'll get yourself killed up there! Your Majesty!" we hear the Official, but the Doctor pays no mind.

Tommy and I wait and watch in silence, looking at the machine.

"How old are you?" I ask him.

He glances over at me "13, and you?"

"Seven." I lie, not wanting to explain the story behind my age.

He nods before saying "Your Dad's pretty cool you know."

I grin, "I know."

"So where are you from?"

"Um, Cardiff." I answer quickly

"Cardiff is beautiful."

"Thank you." I smile at him

Suddenly the machine sparks and shuts off.

"Oh no!" I gasp

"Come on we have to find out what went wrong!"

Tommy cries, getting up.

We frantically search for the problem, anything that indicates what is wrong.

Finally I find a snapped wire.

"I've got it!" I show him the snapped wire.

"Find a new one!" he orders and we quickly find a new one, re-place it and re-plug the machine.

We freeze and very distantly we hear the echo of the Wire in agony

Tommy is grinning as he realizes the plan is working.

"We did it!" I cheer, and he bursts out laughing, wrapping his arms around me in a hug and swinging me around.

"Who hoo!" he howls in excitement.

Suddenly all of the screens snap off, and silence is heard.

We freeze.

"Is she dead?" asks Tommy

"I don't-" with a final explosion the machine becomes a mini fireball.

Tommy grabs my shoulders and forces me to the floor, falling atop me, protecting me from the blast and sparks.

When the hissing of the fire and sparks slows, Tommy slowly sits up, his hand on my arm, to silently tell me to stay down. He looks around.

"You okay?" he asks

"Yeah. Thanks."

He stands and helps me up.

One of the televisions still works.

"I have an idea." He grins.

He walks over to the telly and turns it on, and the coronation is on.

I grin.

We sit, side by side, watching the coronation

"What have I missed?" A familiar voice says from behind me

"Doctor! What happened?" Tommy looks over at him

"Sorted. Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien life form, that's me by the way. I turned the receiver back into a transmitter and I trapped the Wire in here." He indicates the video "I just invented the home video 30 years earlier. Betamax."

He notices the TV, and the coronation footage on the screen.

"Oh look! God save the Queen, eh?" grins The Doctor

"God save the Queen." I murmur back, while Tommy solutes the Television

"Come on we ought to bring Tommy back home." The Doctor says, and I can't help but feel a stab of disappointment.

We hurry back to Tommy's street, where everyone is celebrating the coronation. There are loads of people milling around and meeting loved ones.

"Gran!" Tommy suddenly gasps

"Look, it's my grandson! Oh son!" Beams his Gran

Tommy runs to his gran and they hug each other.

The Doctor scans the crowds for Rose, and spots her at about exactly the time she spots him. A wide smile spreads across her face, which the Doctor returns, quickening his pace towards her. She laughs, just so happy to see him again and he throws his arms around her, lifting her right off the ground in a huge hug. He spins her around as she clings to him, grinning widely and burying her face in his shoulder. When he finally plants her back down on the street, he presses a kiss to the top of her head, and pulls her head away from his chest, his hands on either side of her face, eyes scanning her face for any imperfection. When he is finally satisfied, he pulls her to himself again. I watch as they grip handfuls of each other's clothing in their fists.

I awkwardly wait, excited to see Rose but not willing to break the perfect beauty of the moment.

I look around the street. Now, music is playing, people are out on the street dancing and talking. Trestle tables line the center of the road covered in pastries, cakes, drinks, etc.

I wall down the street, enjoying the palpable happiness of everyone.

"Care for a bit of sponge cake?" Offers Tommy as he appears beside me, offering me a plate.

"I would love some, thank you."

I take the plate and we walk down the street

"Thank you for helping us." I smile at him

"No problem" he grins back

We continue walking, before looping back and finding the Doctor and Rose, who are now walking hand in hand through the celebration.

"Hey, Tommy!" grins The Doctor "Tell you what Tommy, you can have the scooter. Little present. Best... um... keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?"

Behind them, Eddie walks down the street with his suitcase as Rita embraces her mother

"Good riddance." Sighs Tommy and I shuffle a little closer, letting my arm touch him in an attempt at comfort.

"Is that it then, Tommy? New monarch, new age, new world, no room for a man like Eddie Connelly." The Doctor asks

"That's right. He deserves it." I detect the hint of unconditional love for his father underneath his harsh words. I nudge his shoulder.

"Tommy, go after him." Rose encourages

"What for?" snorts Tommy

"He's your dad." I say to him

"He's an idiot." Tommy says, looking away from his dad

"Course he is. Like I said, he's your dad." I smile at him, giving him another nudge.

"Plus it's about time we get going no?" The Doctor looks at us

I fight the disappointment I feel and Tommy's face falls

"Y-you can't stay?" he asks, looking disappointed

"No, sorry Tommy-boy." The Doctor answers "You did an excellent job today." He extends his hand and Tommy shakes it.

"Thank you Doctor. I couldn't have done it without your daughter though!" he smiles at me

I grin back.

The Doctor's expression changes slightly but he keeps his smile.

"Bye Tommy. Thank you for saving me." Smiles Rose, giving him a quick hug.

"Goodbye."

There is a pause and I step over to Tommy.

"Bye Wolfe." He kneels down and wraps his arms around me

"Bye Tommy. I know you'll be an amazing success one day."

"No, but thank you."

"But you're clever. Clever enough to save the world so don't stop there. Go on! Do everything you can think of." I say and he chuckles

"Alright. You too."

We step back, I am fight the rush of tears at the realization this is the last time I will ever see him.

"Go on. After your Dad." I encourage and convinced, Tommy runs to join his dad. They walk side by side and Tommy takes his Dad's bag for him. They continue down the street together. Doctor and Rose watch them fondly from a distance.

I turn around and start walking back towards the Tardis, unable to look back.


	41. Chapter 41

_I turn around and start walking back towards the Tardis, unable to look back._

After realising that I couldn't get into the Tardis because I didn't have a key, I sat outside smiling at the people celebrating the coronation of the Queen.

"Ready to go, Wolfe?" A cheery Doctor arrives about ten minutes later with a large amount of sponge cake in his mouth.

"Absolutely!" I smile, keeping up my façade

He unlocks the door and followed by Rose, we enter and I shut the door behind us.

"So where are we off to next? Wolfe want to choose?"

"No it's alright I'm actually really tired. Why don't you pick and I am going to go lie down, yeah? See you in a bit." I say, fake yawning and walking away towards my room.

I shut the door to my room and go to my closet, changing into my nightgown. I dig through the closet looking for my hairbrush, when I stumble upon a small, dusty photograph. It's small enough to fit in my palm. Picking it up, I use my thumb to brush off the dust.

It's a picture of a young man with dark hair and dark eyes, in a military uniform, with a large medal on his chest. He looks very much like Tommy, but his jawbone is sharper and his eyes are softer. He looks older.

Flipping the picture over, I see an inscription "Thomas David Connolly III, age 19, awarded Distinguished Service Order for outstanding performance and rescuing of 23 lives"

I smile at the image.

"Wolfe?" I hear a soft voice and a knock at the door

"Come in." I hurriedly hide the photo and leave my closet

"Hey. You want to talk about it?" Rose says as she walks in and shuts the door behind her.

"What do you mean?" I say, turning around, and busying myself smoothing my bedspread

"Come on Wolfe. I am not blind and I know what a crush looks like."

She sits herself down on my bed.

"You don't want to leave do you?" she asks me, patting the spot next to her.

I sit grudgingly next to her.

"I knew that we'd have to leave and it doesn't make any sense…" I start

"And may I just add my opinion- he's adorable."

I look up at Rose in surprise, and she laughs

"What you don't think I've noticed he's attractive? He's tall dark and handsome, but sweet too and such a gentleman."

"I knew him for less than a day and yet I miss him." I admit, sitting next to her.

"I know. I understand. But trust me, it's better this way. No offense, but because he's so much older than you you're just going to keep following him around and he will befriend you but nothing more and then you'll have to watch him have relationships with other girls. But the worst part is that you'll take the pain over having to give up seeing his smile everyday or the light in his eyes when he does something good or the feeling of safety you get when he hugs you. So I know you're sad, but don't worry. You got out, away from him, and now, you're safe. Plus you have us."

After listening to her rant it becomes very obvious Rose isn't talking about me.

"Want to talk about it?" I respond, looking at her

"What do you mean?" she turns away like I did

"Rose. You think I don't see the way you and the Doctor act around each other?" I grin at her, and her cheeks color

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I let the silence hang there for a moment.

"Is it really that obvious?" she asks, softly.

"Yes." I admit and she looks at me, her eyes wide

"Do you think he knows?"

"Most likely. I'm not sure." I answer and she places her face in her hands, groaning

"But" I continue "you know the thing in books where there are two best friends one of the friends is desperately in love with the other but the second one is oblivious to it and has no idea until they realize they are in love with the first one too?"

She raises her head and looks at me, realization dawns on her face

"Don't give up just yet." I grin and her smile grows

"Don't give up either. You'll find someone" she encourages.

"I hope so." I smile back at her.

"I have an idea. How about I go tell the Doctor that you and I have a girls night like I used to do with my Mum, whenever I was having boy trouble yeah? I'll go tell the Doctor and get us some ice cream. You pick out a movie." Rose says, hopping up  
"Alright."

She leaves and I turn on the television in my room.

I look up the first movie I think of, which is an excellent Romance movie- _Titanic_.

While I was at Torchwood, I got to watch one movie of my choice a week if I was good. I chose Titanic at least three times a year.

"Ah, excellent choice!" Rose laughs as she returns, arms laden with two tubs of vanilla ice cream, a can of whip cream and a bottle of caramel.

"What did the Doctor say?" I ask we plot down on the bed and she hands me one of the tubs of ice cream.

"Aw, he pouted for a little bit because he wanted to watch the movie with us but I told him it was girls only."

I laugh

"So instead I told him he could pick where we went."

"Good idea. It's always more fun when he decides at random where to go."

As soon as I say this, with its usual screech, the Tardis takes off.

"And there we are then." Rose grins as we settle down more on the bed.

She catches sight of the movie I chose.

"Excellent choice!" she says "One of my favorites!"

She hands me a spoon and I press play.

Over two hours later we're crying into each other's shoulders, our fingers sticky with our finished ice cream.

"You know sometimes its nice to cry over something fake." Sighs Rose,

"Yeah. It makes me feel better." I respond, as Rose hands me a tissue. "Thank you." I say

We wipe up our tears and our ice cream.

"So what did you think of your first girls' night?" Rose asks me, as she climbs out of my bed.  
"I think it was brilliant." I grin

"I'm glad." She presses a kiss to my forehead, smoothing my hair out of my face "and you sound like the Doctor."

I laugh, "Well it could be worse! What do you think he got up to anyway?"

"No idea. Want to go find out?"

"Sure"

She grabs my hand and we leave my room.

"Doctor?" Calls Rose, as we wander around the Tardis

Suddenly I hear something very faint

"Rose I think the Doctor is watching a movie or listening to something. Do you hear that?"

She pauses and listens. The faint echoes of music wisp down the hallway  
We follow the sound down the hall and open the door to a small room where we see the Doctor, on his hands and knees fixing something in what looks like a closet. He's singing quite loudly as he works, along with the music playing from the Tardis.

Rose freezes and I turn to look at her.

Her eyes are wide and I do not understand why she's looking at the Doctor that way. Her eyes have softened and her face relaxed, and just the slightest hint of a smile plays at her lips.

I turn back to the Doctor and listen to what he's singing

"Eight days a week, is not enough to show I care! Ooh I need your love babe, yes you know its true. Hope you need my love babe, just like I need you. Hold me. Love me. Hold me. Love me. I aint got nothing but love babe. Eight days a week. Eight days a week…"

The song ends and Rose says "I didn't peg you for a Beatles type."

The Doctor lurches out from where he was working, eyes wide, hair ruffled and face almost pink.

"Oh, uh, well, I- um, who doesn't like the Beatles, yeah?" his embaressment quickly slides away to reveal his usual self.

"You sounded amazing." Rose compliments, walking closer.

The Doctor's blush returns. "I- thank you. Before you came I used to sing to keep myself company. Got pretty good after a while." He ruffles his hair awkwardly with one hand, and breaks her gaze.

"What was the name of the song you were singing?" I ask and he looks at me, startled as if he had been so focused on Rose he hadn't even noticed I was in the room.

"Oh, it's called eight days a week. It's been stuck in my head for a few days and I figured since you two were having a girls' night it wouldn't hurt to- wait. What happened to your girls' night?"

"When the movie ended we-" I start

"Missed you, so we came to see if you wanted to watch another movie with us." Rose interrupts.

The Doctor brightens immediately "I'd love to!" he grins at her

"What about _When Harry Met Sally_?" Rose suggests, offering her hand.

He takes it as he says "Sure. I don't think I've seen that one yet."

They start walking down the hall together, when Rose stops and looks over her shoulder "Coming Wolfe?"

"No." I shake my head. "I am really tired. It's probably best I get some sleep. You two have fun." I smile

"Okay" Rose turns back around and she and the Doctor continue down the hallway. I grin to myself as I turn back towards my room and climb into bed. It feels strange sleeping by myself again, but I know I need to let them have some time to themselves. So I instruct the Tardis to play me some soft music and I drift off to sleep.


	42. Chapter 42

_I instruct the Tardis to play me some soft music and I drift off to sleep._

I wake to the hum of the Tardis, but it sounds different. She groans and wheezes as if finding it difficult to do whatever she's doing. I climb out of bed and head down the hallway to find the Doctor. I open the door to his room to find them sound asleep, the TV still on, replaying the main menu music.

The Doctor has his arms around Rose's waist.

His body is curled around hers, their legs tangled and her head is tucked under his chin.

It's adorable to see them so comfortable in each other's arms.

I silently ask the Tardis to wake them up so I don't have to. I quickly shut the door, and peer through the keyhole.

She hums, or grunts, really, a little louder than usual and the Doctor wakes with a start. He freezes, before looking down at Rose, his eyes changing from fear to something warmer and softer.

He gently brushes her wispy blonde hair from her face and she slowly wakes up.

"Morning Rose." He murmurs

"Morning Doctor." She smiles as she snuggles closer against him. "'m still sleepy."

"I know, but I think we're about to land." he says as he gently tries to tug her awake.

"No I'm sleepy." She murmurs again.

"Wake up." He grins, giving up trying to tug her off and going for a different approach. He slowly raises one hand and lowers it over the middle of her side, and he starts to tickle her.

"Wha- Doctor!" she says, struggling to get away from him as he continues to tickle her now exposed other side as well.

She laughs and laughs, and so does he, before she starts turning the tides, trying to tickle his feet.

"No- Rose-" He says before he is breathless with laughter too.

When they finally stop, panting and giggling, he gets out of bed and helps her up.

"Come on. Let's go find Wolfe and see where we are." He says

I quickly run down the hall, back to my room, where I change into clean clothes, just before the door opens.

"Morning Wolfe!" The Doctor crows as he opens the door. "Ready to see where we are today?"

"Yes!" I grin, and we all hurry to the Tardis door.

The Tardis lets out another groan, as she finally parks herself.

The Doctor and Rose step outside the doors, followed by me. He looks up at the Tardis.

"I dunno what's wrong with her, she's sort of... queasy. Indigestion, like she didn't wanna land."

"Oh, if you think there's gonna be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else..." Rose says, seriously, trying not to laugh We burst out laughing at this absurd notion.

"I think... we've landed inside a cupboard! Here we go!" The Doctor announces and pushes the door open and we enter another part of the base.

"Open Door 15." A computer announces

"Some sort of base... moon base, sea base, space base... they build these things out of kits." The Doctor lists

"Glad we're indoors, sounds like a storm out there..." I say, listening to a howl from outside.

"Open Door 16." The computer voice announces again as the Doctor opens another door

Rose and I follow the Doctor through the door into a corridor.

"Human design, you've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat-pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier." He explains as we go through another door.

We enter a canteen area.

"Open Door 17." The computer says again

The Doctor, as he strides into the middle of the room "Oh, it's a sanctuary base!"

"Close Door 17." The Computer says as Rose closes the door

"Deep Space exploration. We've gone way out. And listen to that, underneath..." He points downwards, indicating for us to listen. We hear the hum of drills.

"Someone's drilling." I say

"Welcome to hell." Rose says

"Oh, it's not that bad!" laughs The Doctor

"No, over there!" Rose laughs back, pointing to a wall. The words "WELCOME TO HELL" are scrawled on the wall, with ancient symbols written underneath.

The Doctor stares.

"Hold on..." He goes over to it "What does that say?" The Doctor peers closely at the ancient text, but it remains stubbornly incomprehensible. "That's weird. It won't translate." He frowns

"But I thought the TARDIS translated everything, writing as well. We should see English." Rose says, confused

"Exactly. If that's not working, then it means... this writing is old. Very old. Impossibly old." The Doctor stands and goes over to another door.

"We should find out who's in charge." He turns the wheel to open the door. "We've gone beyond the reach of the TARDIS knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough..."

"Open Door 19."

The door opens, and we gasp in shock, stumbling backwards a few steps. These strange, tentacle faced pale aliens are staring at us, on the other side of the door, blinking at us.

"Right! Hello! Sorry! Uh... I was just saying, uh... nice base!" The Doctor says, trying to regain his composure

"We must feed." The aliens say together

"You're gonna what?" I say, nervous

"We must feed." They repeat

"Yeah. I think they mean us." Rose says as e back away and the aliens advance.

"We must feed."

We try and make for the other door, but it opens and more aliens come through it.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

Yet another door opens and more aliens walk slowly through it.

The Doctor shoves Rose and I behind him.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

The Doctor takes his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket as Rose arms herself with a chair.

"We must feed. We must feed."

The Doctor, Rose, and I, screwdriver and chair at the ready, are backed against the wall by the advancing aliens.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed…."

One of the closer ones to us shakes and taps the white Orb he holds before him. "You. If you are hungry." It finishes

"Sorry?" the Doctor says, confused, lowering his sonic screwdriver

"We apologise. Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems." The alien says

Rose puts down the chair.

"Would you like some refreshment?" It continues

"Uhm..." The Doctor says

"Open Door 18."

A door opens and a man comes through, flanked by two others holding guns.

"What the hell...? How did...?" the man gasps as he approaches the us, staring.

"Captain... you're not going to believe this. We've got people. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean three... living... people. Just standing here, right in front of me." He says into his communication device, absolutely incredulous

"Don't be stupid, that's impossible." A voice answers through the communication device.

"I suggest telling them that." The man says, looking back up at us

"But you're a sort of space base, you must have visitors now and then. It can't be that impossible." Rose says, utterly lost

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?" the man says, scornfully

"No idea. More fun that way." The Doctor grins.

"Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake Point 5 on its way." A Pa voice echoes through.

As the base starts to quake and tremble, the man rushes over to a door and opens it.

"Through here! Now. Quickly, come on!" Sirens sound. The Doctor scoops me up and we run to follow him through the door, with the two other security guards.

"Now!"

Wecome through into another corridor which is shaking, smoke rising from the floor, complete chaos.

"Move it! Come on! Come on, come on!"

Rose screams as she nearly falls over and sparks fly everywhere. The Doctor grabs her arm and steers her forewards, his other arm holding tightly onto me.

"Move it, come on! Quickly! Move it!" the man continues to urge us.

We hurry down the corridor and find ourselves in the control room, where the crew are busy working. They all look up when we walk in. Their mouths drop open. The Doctor beams around at everyone.

"Oh, my God. You meant it." Gasps one man

"People! Look at that! Real people!" another says

"That's us. Hooray!" The Doctor announces, as he puts me down.

"Yeah, definitely real. My name's Rose... Rose Tyler, and...and this is the Doctor…and this is...Wolfe-"

"Our Daughter." The Doctor explains. Rose looks at him, sharply for a second before going along with it. "Our daughter." She repeats.

"Come on... the oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be... no. They're real!" gasps another man

"Come on, we're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up, the quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds!" the man, who seems to be in charge announces

The seconds count down on a computer screen.

He turns to the Doctor and Rose "Sorry, you three, whoever you are. Just... hold on. Tight."

"Hold on to what?" demands Rose

"Anything. I don't care. Just hold on. Ood, are we fixed?" The man answers

We find some railings to hold on to, Rose covering me with her body and the Doctor covering hers with his.

One of the aliens we say earlier, which the man referred to as "Ood" says "Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated."

"What's this planet called, anyway?" The Doctor asks

"Now, don't be stupid. It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name?" answers one of the women, scornfully

The Doctor raises his eyebrows.

"You really don't know, do you?" she gasps

"And... Impact!" the head man yells. The entire base shakes violently. The crew, the Doctor, Rose, and I all cling on tight, but it's over pretty quickly. The Doctor stands.

"Oh, well, that wasn't so bad...!"

He is thrown backwards as the base shakes even more violently than it did before. He clings to the railing for dear life. There is a small explosion from one of the consoles. Sparks fly around the room. We are all tossed about like rag-dolls. Finally, it stops.


	43. Chapter 43

_Sparks fly around the room. We are all tossed about like rag-dolls. Finally, it stops._

"Okay, that's it." Sighs the head man

The first man we met hurries forward with a fire extinguisher.

"Everyone all right? Speak to me, Ida?" continues the head man

"Yeah, yeah!" answers Ida, the woman The Doctor was just talking to.

"Danny?"

"Fine." Answers one of the other men

"Toby?"

"Yeah, fine." Answers another man

"Scooti?"

"No damage." She grins

"Jefferson?"

"Check!" sighs the man who we first men.

"We're fine, thanks, fine, yeah, don't worry about us." The Doctor says as he carefully checks Rose and I for any injuries.

"The surface caved in." the main man says.

The graphics on the computer screen indicate the part of the base that has been lost. "I deflected it onto storage 5 through 8. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

"That's not my department." Pouts Toby

"Just do as I say, yeah?" Toby grudgingly leaves the room.

"Oxygen holding. Internal gravity 56.6. We should be okay." Ida says "Never mind the earthquake, that's... that's one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?" Rose asks

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum." Scooti answers

"Then what's shaking the roof?" I ask

"You're not joking. You really don't know? Well, introductions. FYI, as they said in the olden days. I'm Ida Scott, science officer." She starts, before indicating to the head man "Zachary Cross Flane, acting Captain, sir... you've met Mr Jefferson, he's head of security. Danny Bartock. Ethics committee."

"Not as boring as it sounds." Interrupts Danny

The three of us grin at him.

"And that man who just left, that was Toby Zed, archaeology, and this..." She places her hands on Scooti's shoulders... is Scooti Manista. Trainee maintenance." Scooti smiles at us. Ida goes over to a set of controls.

" And this... this is home." She turns a lever and a whirring sound starts. "Brace yourselves. The sight of it sends some people mad." Warns Zach

The room is flooded with a red-ish light as an overhead window opens, revealing a black hole right above us. Rose the Doctor and I stand, amazed, watching the light being sucked into it.

"That's a black hole." Rose murmurs

"But that's impossible." The Doctor says, in disbelief

"I did warn you." Zach replies

"We're standing under a black hole." I say, incredulous

"We're in orbit." Explains Ida

"But we can't be..." the Doctor replies

"You can see for yourself. We're in orbit." Ida answers

"But we can't be." The Doctor repeats

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss." Sighs Ida, having given up trying to convince the Doctor

"And that's bad, yeah?" Rose says to him

"That doesn't cover it... a black hole's a dead star, it collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light, gravity... time... everything just gets pulled inside... and crushed." The Doctor explaisn

"So, they can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in." I say

"We should be dead." The fear in his voice makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"And yet... here we are. Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board." Ida smirks

"But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose points to clouds speeding rapidly towards the black hole outside the base.

"Stars breaking up... gas clouds... we have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads before falling into that thing." Ida explains

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then." Rose smiles weakly

"Just a bit." Snorts Ida

"Just a bit, yeah." Rose murmurs.

The base shakes again.

We continue looking up, before Ida closes it.

"You're going to go mad." She shakes her head at us.

"Come look at the control panel." Urges Zach, and we crowd around the control panel. Toby comes back into the control room

"Close Door 1."

"The rocket link's fine." Announces Toby. Zack taps a button on the controls and a hologram the black hole appears before them. The Doctor puts his glasses on.

"That's the black hole officially designated K37 Gen 5." Zach tells us.

"In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called Kroptor. The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison." Ida explains

"The bitter pill. I like that." Smiles Rose

"We are so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe, how did you even get here?!" demands the Doctor

"We flew in. You see..." Zach presses another button and the hologram changes to one of the planet with a gravity field emanating out from it like a tunnel.

"This planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how, we've no idea, but... it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there." He gestures "As a funnel. A distinct... gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in."

"You flew down that thing?" Rose grins "Like a rollercoaster."

"By rights, the ship should've been torn apart. We lost the Captain... which is what put me in charge..."

"You're doing a good job." Consoles Ida

"Yeah. Well, needs must." Zach mutters

"But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out." Danny adds

"We had fun speculating about that." Snorts Scooti

"Oh, yeah. That's the word." He whacks Scooti on the head with a scroll ""Fun"."

I giggle

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power! I mean... not just big, but off the scale! Can I...?" He gestures to the controls.

"Sure. Help yourself. She pushes the calculator over to him and leaves him to it. One of the Ood approaches Rose and gives her a cup."

"Your refreshment." It informs her

"Oh yeah, thanks. Thank you. I'm sorry, what was your name?" She asks the Ood

"We have no titles. We are as one." He leaves

"Uhm, what are they called?" she asks aloud, and Danny turns, laughing at her

"Oh, come on. Where've you been living? Everyone's got one!"

"Well, not me, so what are they?" demands Rose

"They're the Ood."

"The "Ood"?"

"The Ood." Nods Danny

"Well that's... ood."

I giggle again and Danny chuckles saying, "Very ood! But handy. They work the mine shafts. All the drilling and stuff. Supervision, and maintenance! They're born for it. Basic slave race."

"You've got slaves?" I gasp

"Don't start, she's like one of that lot. Friends of the Ood." Scooti rolls her eyes

"Well maybe we are, yeah. Since when do humans need slaves?" Rose defends me, annoyed

"But the Ood offer themselves. If you don't give them orders, they just pine away and die." One of the Ood has approached Rose. She eyes it. "Seriously? You like being ordered about?" she demands

"It is all we crave." It answers

"Why's that, then?" I ask it

"We have nothing else in life." It responds

"Yeah, well I used to think like that. A long time ago." She glanes over her shoulder at the Doctor, eyes soft.

"There we go. D'you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds." The Doctor crows, proud of himself

"That's a lot of sixes." Snorts Rose

"And it's impossible." Sighs the Doctor

"It took us two years to work that out!" Zach cries, astonished

"I'm very good." The Doctor says, trying to be modest

"But... that's why we're here. This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it." Ida starts

"It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazen Scale." Continues Zach

"We could revolutionize modern science." Finishes Ida

"We could use it to fuel the Empire." Adds Danny

"Or start a war." The Doctor says, grimly, taking his glasses off.

"It's buried beneath us. In the darkness, waiting." Toby says, dramatically

"What's your job? Chief... dramatist?" Rose asks him, annoyed.

The Doctor smirks.

"Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomena. And this, er, planet once supported life. Eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk." Toby answers

"I saw that lettering written on the wall. Did you do that?" The Doctor asks him

"I copied it from fragments we found on earth by the drilling, but I can't translate it." Toby explains

"No, neither can I. And that's saying something." The Doctor agrees

"There was some form of civilization. They buried something. Now it's reaching out. Calling us in." Toby tells us

"And you came." Grins The Doctor

"Well, how could we not?" Gasps Ida as Zach switches off the hologram.

"So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here? Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was there. Brilliant. Excuse me, ah, Zach, wasn't it?" The Doctor babbles all the while, still grinning at them fondly.

"That's me." Zach says

"Just stand there, 'cos I'm gonna hug you. Is that all right?" The Doctor grins, manically

Jefferson stares.

"I s'pose so." Zach answers, looking a little nervous

"Here we go. Coming in." The Doctor throws his arms around Zach and clutches him, beaming. "Ahh, human beings, you are amazing!"

Ida looks bemused.

"Ha!" crows the Doctor again. Rose and I chuckle.

The Doctor releases Zach.

"Thank you." He says

"Not at all." Zach says, still bewildered.

"But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags and get back in that ship and fly for your lives." The Doctor says, suddenly serious.

"You can talk! And how the hell did you get here?"

"Oh, I've got this um... this... it's hard to explain, it just sort of... appears." The Doctor answers, awkwardly

"We can show you, we parked down the corridor from um... oh, what's it called? Uh, habitation area..." Rose trails off

"Three." Helps the Doctor

" Three. Three." Rose grins

"Do you mean storage six?" Zach says, looking guilty

"Uh, it was a bit of a cupboard, yeah." The Doctor says, cheerily

Zach glances uncomfortably at Ida.

"Storage six, but you said..." It dawns on him. "You said... you said storage five to eight." Without another word, he turns on his heel and dashes from the room. Rose and I follow, confused.

He springs back down the corridor, Rose and I hot on his tail.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Rose shouts after him.

The Doctor frantically opens Door 19, and goes back into the canteen area.

"Open Door 19." The computer announces

He sprints the length of the room.

"Close Door 19."

The Doctor spins the wheel to try and open the door back through the other corridor.

"Stupid doors, come on!" The Doctor yells, furiously

It swings open. We emerge into yet another corridor.  
"Open Door 17."

We dash down the corridor, and I struggle to keep up. He opens another door.

"Open Door 15."

The Doctor slams himself against the next door, frantically pushing the button to open it but it won't budge.

"Door 16 out of commission." The Computer says

"Can't be, can't be!" Wails the Doctor

"What's wrong?! What is it?" Rose demands and I suddenly understand what's wrong.

The Doctor opens a small round window in the door and looks through it. "Doctor, the tardis is in there. What's happened." Rose says, and I look away, nauseous with realization.

"The Tardis is gone." He murmurs as he backs away from the window, absolutely horrified, breathing heavily.

"Door 16 out of commission".

"The earthquake. This section collapsed." I explain.

"But it's gotta be out there somewhere." She peers out of the window

"Look down." The Doctor says, sounding defeated. "Nothing but a chasm."

After a moment of mourning, the Doctor is back into fix-it mode. He charges back down the hallways, Rose and I struggling to follow and into the main control room again.

By the time we make it back there, the Doctor is on at Zach.

"The ground gave way. My Tardis must've fallen down right into the heart of the planet. But you've got robot drills heading the same way." The Doctor says, urgently

"We can't divert the drilling." Zach walks off. The Doctor stares at him, then follows him.

"But I need my ship. It's all I've got. Literally the only thing."

"Doctor, we've only got the resources to drill one central shaft down to the power source, and that's it. No diversions, no distractions, no exceptions. Your machine is lost. All I can do is offer you a lift if we ever get to leave this place, and that... is the end of it." He leaves.

Ida approaches the Doctor, who looks completely helpless.

"I'll uh, put you on the duty roster. We need someone in the laundry." She follows Zach from the room.

"Open Door 1."

The Doctor and Rose look at each other.

One of the Ood exits, leaving us alone.

"Close Door 1." The Doctor goes to Rose and settles against the control panel next to her.

"I've trapped you here." He murmurs, sounding broken

"No. Don't worry about me." The base shakes again.

"Okay, we're on a planet that shouldn't exist, under a black hole... and no way out." The Doctor looks at her. She catches his eye.

"Yeah, I've changed my mind. Start worrying about me." She laughs nervously. The Doctor pulls her into a tight hug. He looks darkly at the black hole, just holding her.

"Doctor?" I say, my voice sounding fearful to me. His eyes fall to me and his expression becomes even more morose. "Oh Wolfe…"

Rose pulls away from the Doctor a little and holds her hand out for me.

I snuggle between them, and fear washes over me.

 _How are we going to ever leave?_


	44. Chapter 44

_How are we going to ever leave?_

"Entering night shift. Your chosen track for transition is Ravel's Bolero." Announces the Computer as Ravel's Bolero plays.

The Doctor, Rose and I are sat by the ancient text in the canteen area, the Doctor staring at it with his brow furrowed.

"Danny, check the temperature of Ood Habitation. It seems to be rising." Zach says over the PA

Rose gets up and walks over to the hatch through which the food is being served. Danny stands to do what Zach tells him. Scooti is already by the hatch with her tray.

"Help yourself. Just don't have the green. Or the blue." Scooti laughs.

I look back at the Doctor, who is still studying the writing on the wall. I stay silent, not knowing what to say.

Rose returns to the table and starts picking at the sorry excuse for food.

"Got the Scarlet System burning up, it might be worth a look." Zach says to Ida through her communication device.

Ida looks at us, "You might wanna see this. Moment in history." She pulls a lever which opens the overhead "shutters", revealing the black hole overhead and flooding the room with soft red light. "There. On the edge." A stream of red light is spiralling into the black hole. "That red cloud... that used to be the Scarlet System. Home to the Peluchi... a mighty civilisation spanning a billion years... disappearing. Forever. Their planets and suns consumed." She's gazing up at it, fascinated, as are the Doctor and Rose. The last of the Scarlet System disappears into the black hole. "Ladies and gentlemen... we have witnessed its passing." She goes to pull the lever to close the shutters again, but the Doctor stops her.

"Er, no, could you leave it open?" Rose looks at him. "Just for a bit. I won't go mad, I promise." The Doctor continues

"How would you know?" Ida asks

The Doctor smiles

"Scooti, check the lockdown." Ida orders. Scooti nods and leaves.

"Jefferson, sign off the airlock seals for me. Jefferson and Ida exit, leaving us alone.

"Open Door 18."

"I've seen films and things, yeah, they say black holes are like gateways to another universe." Rose says to The Doctor, and he just looks at her. "

"Close Door 18." The Computer voice yells.

"Not that one. It just eats." The Doctor sighs

"Long way from home..." sighs Rose

The Doctor glances at her.

"Go that way, turn right, keep going for um... about five hundred years... then you'll reach the Earth." He smiles weakly at her

Rose takes her phone out of her pocket and presses a few buttons.

"No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could... what would I tell her...? Can you build another Tardis?" She laughs half-heartedly, knowing it's impossible.

"They were grown, not built. And with my own planet gone... we're kind of stuck." The Doctor says, looking downcast

"Well, it could be worse. This lot said they'd give us a lift." Rose says, trying o keep the tone light.

"And then what?" The Doctor sighs

"I dunno... find a planet... get a job... live a life, same as the rest of the universe." Rose suggests

"Pfft... I'd have to settle down. In a house or something, a proper house with... with... with... with backyards and things. Post boxes! Me! Living in a house!" The Doctor says as he can't even fathom it.

Rose laughs.

"Now that... that is terrifying." He shudders.

"You'd have to get a mortgage." Rose teasingly replies singing slightly

"... No." the Doctor says, staring at her in horror

"Oh yes." Laughs Rose

"I am dying. That's it. I am dying, it is all over." Howls The Doctor, grinning

"What about me? I'd have to get one too. I dunno, could... could be the same one, we could both..." Rose starts and the Doctor looks at her

"I dunno... share. Or not, you know. Whatever." She blushes, and looks away. The Doctor nods, clearly feeling slightly awkward.

"I dunno, we'll sort something out..." Rose murmurs

"Anyway." The Doctor says "We'll see!"

We sit in silence for a few moments.

"What about me?" I ask, speaking for the first time.

"Well Wolfe." The Doctor's eyes are bright. "We'll just have to adopt you then, yeah?"

I look up at him in surprise

"What d'ya say?" He asks

"I'd love that." I grin, and then silence falls again

Rose tries again to use her phone and the Doctor looks guilty.

"I promised Jackie I'd always take you back home." He tells her

"Everyone leaves home in the end." Rose answers

"Not to end up stuck here." The Doctor answers, harsher than I expected

"Yeah, but stuck with you, that's not so bad." She smiles at him, her blush from the earlier conversation about buying a house together still evident.

"Yeah?" The Doctor looks up at her, hopeful  
"Yes." She says, sincerely

The Doctor smiles.

The moment is broken by Rose's phone ringing.

Rose answers.

"He is awake." A deep, creepy voice hisses.

Shocked, Rose flings the phone to the floor.

"What was that?" demands the Doctor.

"I have no idea."

"How could it have done that?" I ask as we look at her phone.

"An Ood said something like that to me when I was getting food earlier, but it wrote it off as communication trouble again." Rose frowns

Doctor's eyes light up "Let's go to Ood habitation."

The Doctor, Rose and I bound down the stairs to see Danny in Ood Habitation.

"Evening!" The Doctor grins

"Only us!" smiles Rose

"The mysterious couple and kid. How are you, then? Settling in?" Danny asks

" Yeah, sorry, straight to business, the Ood, how do they communicate? I mean, with each other."

The Ood are sat in an area below them in what looks almost like an animal-pen. A balcony looks over this area and there are steps from there. "Oh, just empaths. There's a low level telepathic field connecting them. Not that that does them much good. They're basically a herd race. Like cattle."

"This telepathic field, can it pick up messages?" Demands the Doctor

"'Cos I was having dinner, and one of the Ood said something... well, odd." Rose explains

"Oh. An odd Ood." Shrugs Danny

"And then I got something else on my er..." She glances at the Doctor  
"communicator thing." She finishes

"Oh, be fair. We've got whole star systems burning up around us. There's all sorts of stray transmissions. Probably nothing." Danny answers

We stare at him, far from convinced.

"Look... if there was something wrong, it would show. We monitor the telepathic field. It's the only way to look after them. They're so stupid, they don't even tell us when they're ill." Sighs Danny

"Monitor the field, that's this thing?" I ask, pointing to the screen.

The reading on the screen says "Basic 5".

"Yeah. But like I said, it's low-level telepathy. They only register Basic 5." Danny explains to us

While he has been speaking, the reading has risen to Basic 6.

"Well, that's not Basic 5." The Doctor says, pointing at it.

It rises, again and again.

"10..." Rose and I look down at the Ood. Suddenly they raise their heads in unison as the reading ascends.

"20..." The Doctor turns to Danny. "They've gone up to Basic 30."

"But they can't..." Danny is at a loss

"Doctor, the Ood..." Rose starts

The Ood turn, as one, and look up at the four of us on the balcony.

"What does Basic 30 mean?" I ask

"Well, it means that they're shouting, screaming inside their heads." Danny replies, baffled

"Or something's shouting at them..." The Doctor grimly says

"But... where's it coming from? What is it saying? I mean..." Danny looks at Rose "What did it say to you?"

"Something about the beast in the pit." Rose answers

"What about your communicator? What did that say?" He tries again

"He is awake." Rose tells him.

"And you will worship him." All of the Ood cry at once.

"What the hell?" gasps Danny

"He is awake." The Doctor yells to the Ood

"And you will worship him." They all reply

"Worship who?" Demands the Doctor

There's no reply.

"Who's talking to you? Who is it?" The Doctor tries again.

No response.

"Come on."

Rose and I follow the Doctor down into the Ood Pen. Danny still on the overhead balcony

The entire base shakes. We are thrown violently around and we struggle to regain our balance. I tumble into a corner.

"Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach." Screeches the Computer


	45. Chapter 45

_"_ _Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach." Screeches the Computer_

"Which section?" demands Danny into his communication device.

"Everyone... evacuate 11 to 13, we've got a breach! The base is open. Repeat: the base is open." Announces Zach on the PA

"Come on!" Danny yells. The Doctor picks me up and we run up the stairs and back along the coridors before re entering the habitation area.

We keep following Danny until we burst into a small room, with Ida, Jefferson, and Toby as the computer shouts

"Breach sealed. Breach sealed."

"Everyone all right?! What happened? What was it?" demands the Doctor as he puts me down.

"Oxygen levels normal." The Computer announces

"Hull breach! We were open to the elements. A couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters." Pants Jefferson

Rose crouches to help Toby, who is still sweating and panting on the floor.

"That wasn't a quake. What caused it?" Demands the Doctor

"We've lost sections 11 to 13. Everyone all right?" Zach calls through the PA

"We've got everyone here except Scooti. Scooti, report." Jefferson says into his comm.

Static and a beep on the communication device.

"Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report." Jefferson repeats.

Again, he only comes up with the blank beep and the static.

"She's all right." Zach's voice comes over the PA

Jefferson and Ida breath a sigh of relief.

"I picked up her bio chip, she's in Habitation 3. The hologram shows a red dot indicating Scooti's location in Habitation 3." Zack continues "Better go and check if she's not responding, she might be unconscious. How about that, eh? We survived." Chuckles Zach.

"Habitation 3... come on, I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink. Come on." Everyone but Toby, the Doctor, Rose and I follow Jefferson down the corridor. The Doctor crouches down to Toby, who looks severely shaken.

"What happened?" he hisses at Toby

"I don't... I dunno, I... I was working and then I can't remember. All... all that noise, the room was falling apart, there was no air..." He babbles

"Come on. Up you get. Come and have some Protein One." Rose encourages. She has her arm linked through his and is walking him along the corridor.

"Oh, you've gone native." Gasps the Doctor, mockingly

"Oi, don't knock it. It's nice. Protein One with just a" she clicks her fingers "dash of Three."

We walk downthe corridors, but when we enter habitation center 3, it's is slightly chaotic. They're all looking for Scooti, and everyone is talking over each other.

"I've checked Habitation 4..." Ida announces

"There's no sign of her." Adds Jeffersom

"The bio chip says she's in the area." Zach responds through the PA

"Have you seen Scooti?" Jefferson demands of Toby

"No, no, no, I don't think so." Tony answers, looking fearful

"Scooti, please respond, if you can hear this please respond... Habitation 6." Ida begs into her Comm.

"Nowhere here. Zach? We've got a problem. Scooti's still missing." Jefferson says into his Comm.

"It says Habitation 3!" Zach replies

"Yeah, well that's where I am, and I'm telling you she's not there." Jefferson answers

The Doctor gazes upwards, through the overhead window.

"I've found her." His voice is low with sadness.

We all look upwards, following his gaze. Rose's hand flies over her mouth. "Oh, my God..." she gasps

Scooti's body is floating eerily just outside the window.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Whispers The Doctor.

The rest of them just stare, horrified.

The Doctor leans down, picks me up and presses my head into his shoulder, to hide the grotesque image the best he can.

"Captain... report Officer Scootori Manista PKD... deceased." I hear Jefferson's broken voice.

"She was twenty... twenty years old." Ida goes over to the controls.

The Doctor stares up at Scooti's body, grave and silent. Ida pulls the lever to close the shutters. Scooti drifts further and further away towards the black hole as they close.

"For how should Man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father... and the temples of his Gods." Jefferson's voice has dropped to a whisper. The shutters have closed completely, leaving the room noticeably darker and gloomier than before. A strange silence has also fallen.

"It's stopped..." Ida gasps

A distant crash.

"What was that? What was it?" Demands Rose

"The drill." The Doctor answers

"We've stopped drilling. We've made it. Point Zero." Ida explains

"It's time to go down and see what we can find." Nods Jefferson.

"Capsule established. All systems functioning... the mineshaft is go... bring systems online now." Ida says.

Rose and I watch in horror as The Doctor, already garbed in a spacesuit, approaches Zach. Zach stares at him.

"Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force." He says

"Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol. We don't even know who you are." Zach answers

"Yeah, but you trust me, don't you? And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on... look me in the eye... yes you do, I can see it. Trust." The Doctor responds.

"I should be going down." Zach says, looking worried

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here. In charge." The Doctor says, firmly

"Not much good at it, am I?" Zach bitterly sighs

The Doctor doesn't answer, but simply looks at him. Zach sighs.

"Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions!"

Rose catches the Doctor's eye. They walk over to each other.

"Mr Jefferson! I want maximum systems..." Zach's voice fades as he walks away.

Rose and the Doctor stand facing one another. The Doctor checks a device on the wrist of the spacesuit.

"Oxygen... nitro-balance... gravity. It's ages since I wore one of these!" He grins at her, but seeing her worry the smile fades

"I want that spacesuit back in one piece, you got that?" She says, firmly

"Yes, ma'am." He puts on the helmet.

"It's funny, 'cos people back home think that space travel's gonna be all whizzing about and teleports and anti-gravity... but it's not, is it?" Her voice cracks "It's tough."

"I'll see you later." The Doctor promises her, and her holds her hand the best he can with his space suit gloves on.

"Not if I see you first." She laughs softly and pulls his head down gently, and she places a kiss on the lower portion of his helmet.

She pulls back, and they just stare at each other for a few seconds, eyes trying to say something.

The Doctor is the first to look away.  
"Take care of Rose, Wolfe." He says, looking at me.

I can see the slight print of Rose's lips on the Doctor's helmet.

"Of course. You be careful. None of that heroic nonsense, yeah?" I say, with a half smile.

"I promise." He smiles at me, I give him the best hug I can manage. Then he turns and walks down the corridor to the capsule. We follow, both of our minds full of worry.

"Capsule active. Counting down in 10... 9..." Zach's oice echoes over the PA. "8... 7... 6..."

The Doctor and Ida go into the capsule. Jefferson closes the door after them

"5... 4... 3... 2..."

Jefferson salutes them.

"1..."

Rose has me on her hip and we wave, smiling. The Doctor waves back, returning the smile.

"Release."

The capsule descends the shaft.

A diagram on a computer screen shows the descent of the capsule into the depths of the planet.

"Gimme that." Rose grabs Jefferson's comm out of his hand, clearly worried out of her mind

"Don't forget to breath. Breathing's good." She says into it, as she demonstrates taking deep breaths.

"Rose, stay off the comm." Sighs Zach over the comm

"Fat chance." Snorts Rose

The diagram on the computer screen indicates the capsule has reached Point Zero. It causes the whole base to shake. As soon as Rose has managed to steady herself, she's back on the comm.

"Doctor?" She gasps into it

There is no response and my stomach lurches.

"Doctor, are you all right?"

"Ida, report to me..." Zach says over the Comm. Only silence responds

"Doctor?" Rose tries again, unable to keep the tears from her voice.


	46. Chapter 46

_"Doctor?" Rose tries again, unable to keep the tears from her voice._

"It's all right... we've made it... coming out of the capsule now." The Doctor's voice comes through the comm. Rose and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"What's it like down there?" I ask into the Comm.

"It's hard to tell... some sort of... cave... cavern... it's massive." The Doctor answers, vaguely

A pause for a few moments

"Rose... you can tell Toby... we've found his civilization... " Gasps the Doctor, sounding in awe of whatever they've found.

"Oi, Toby, sounds like you've got plenty of work." Rose calls over to Toby. I look over at him and frown. Toby is distracted and twitchy, and isn't really as interested in this information as he normally would be. "Good, good. Good." He mutters.

"Concentrate now, people. Keep on the mission. Ida... what about the power source?" Zach calls through the Comm.

"We're close. Energy signature indicates north, north west. Are you getting pictures up there?" Ida's voice comes through

"There's too much interference. We're in your hands." Answers Zach

"Well... we've come this far. There's no turning back." Ida says over the Comms.

We hear the Doctor's whine "Oh, did you have to? No turning back? That's almost as bad as "nothing can possible go wrong" or "this is is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had"... "

"Are you finished?" Ida's annoyed voice echoes back to us.

"Yeah! Finished." Answers the Doctor, sounding somewhat sulky.

After a moment Danny's voice comes through the Comm.

"Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood."

"What are they doing?' demands Zach

"They're staring at me. I've told them to stop, but they won't." Danny answers, sounding nervous.

"Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can take being stared at.' Sighs Zach

"But the telepathic field, sir. It's at Basic 100! I've checked, there isn't any fault. It's definitely 100."

"But that's impossible." Gasps Zach

"What's Basic 100 mean?" Rose asks into the Comm.

"They should be dead. Basic 100's brain death." Danny's voice answers

"But they're safe? They're not actually moving?" Zach checks again

"No, sir." Answers Danny

"Keep watching them. And you, Jefferson, keep a guard on the Ood." Zach orders

"Officer at arms!" Jefferson readies his gun.

"You can't fire a gun in here. What if they hit a wall?" I ask, worried

"I'm firing stock 15, only packs upon organics." He answers, before turning to a guard "Keep watch. Guard them."

"Yes, sir." He grunts

"Is everything all right up there?" The Doctor's worried voice comes through the Comms.

"Yeah, yeah." Rse assures him, instantly trying to keep him from worrying

"It's fine." Zach answers Flatly

"Great!" sighs Danny, sarcastically.

Silence falls over the base for a few more moments.

Suddenly I am watching the Doctor, holding onto a wire, his orange suit bright against the darkness. "If they get back in touch... if you talk to Rose... just tell her..." He pauses for a moment, looking down. "Tell her I... Another pause. Then, to himself "Oh, she knows." Sighs the Doctor to Ida. He cuts the line and plummets into Darkness, to my horror.

"We've found something. It looks like metal. Like some sort of seal. I've got a nasty feeling the word might be "trapdoor". Not a good word, "trapdoor". Never met a trapdoor I liked." The Doctor's voice over the Comms, jolts me out of my vision of his death.

"The edge is covered with those symbols." Ida informs us.

"Do you think it opens?" Zach asks

"No-" I start but the Doctor interrupts me

"That's what trapdoors tend to do." Sighs the Doctor.

""Trapdoor" doesn't do it justice. It's massive, Zach. About thirty feet in diameter." Ida adds

"Any way of opening it?" Zach asks

"I don't know. I can't see any sort of mechanism." Ida answers

"I suppose that's the writing, that'll tell us what to do. The letters that defy translation." The Doctor sighs

"Toby, did you get anywhere with decoding it?" Rose asks Toby "Toby, they need to know, that lettering, does it make any sort of sense?  
Toby has his head in his arms, still crouched in the corner.

"I know what it says." He murmurs

"Then tell them!" I order

"When did you work that out?" Demands Jefferson over the Comms.

"It doesn't matter, just tell them." Rose orders and Toby stands. He turns towards us, he is covered in the symbols, eyes red.

"These are the words of the Beast." He growls

I stumble away from him and Rose stares at him in shock.

"And he has woken." Jefferson points his gun at Toby.

"He is the heart that beats in the darkness, he is the blood that will never cease. And now he will rise." Growls Toby

"Officer, stand down. Stand down." Orders Jefferson

Toby flexes his arms.

"Officer, as commander of security, I order you to stand down and be confined. Immediately!"

"He's come out in those symbols all over his face. They're all over him." Rose speaks into the Comm.

Toby considers us.

"Mr Jefferson, tell me, sir... did your wife ever forgive you?" He growls

"I don't know what you mean." Gasps Jefferson

"Let me tell you a secret: she never did." Grins Toby

"Officer... you stand down and be confined." Repeats Jefferson

"Or what?" snarls Toby

"Or under the jurisdiction of Condition Red, I am authorized to shoot you." He aims his gun at Toby.

"But how many can you kill?" Toby's eyes light up and his mouth opens in a low roar as the symbols evaporate off Toby's skin and leave him as swirls of black smoke. This smoke then enters the Ood, who jerk as the Beast possesses them. Toby, himself again, coughs and collapses. Jefferson points his gun at the three Ood on the exploration deck.

"It's the Ood." Gasps Rose into the comm as she grabs my hand and pulls me to her.

"Sir, we have a contamination in the livestock." Jefferson says into the comm

"Doctor, I don't know what it is, it's... it's like they're possessed." Rose is panicking

"They won't listen to us." Jefferson frantically tries to report.  
All the Ood speak at once "He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time. Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan... Or Lucifer... Or the Bringer of Despair... The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night. These are the words that shall set him free." The Ood start to advance.

We are backing away as they move.

"Back up to the door!" Jefferson orders us.

"I shall become manifest." The Ood say

"Move quickly!" cries Jefferson

"I shall walk in might." Continues the Ood

" To the door!" We are backing up against the door. "Get it open!"

"My Legions shall swarm across the worlds..." the Ood speak "I am the sin and the temptation. And the desire. I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come."

"Get that door open!" Jefferson orders again

Rose and the other crew member desperately try to open the door, but it won't budge. Jefferson has his gun aimed at the advancing Ood, but they ignore it completely.

"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more." The Ood continues moving towards us

"Door sealed." The Computer yells

"Come on!" Rose cries

"Door sealed." The Computer yells

"Open fire!" Jefferson and the guard fire at the Ood, whilst Rose cowers, shoving me behind her.

"Come on." Jefferson urges, when all the Ood are dead.

Rose steps over to the dead bodies of the Ood and grabs the communication device once more, impatient to see if the Doctor is okay. "Doctor?" Static, no reply.

"Doctor, can you hear me? Doctor? Ida? Are you there?" she demands, fearfully

"Open Door 25." The Computer yells

Jefferson and the guard spin round, guns raised and ready for whatever will come through the door, but it's only Danny

"It's me! But they're coming." Danny shouts

"Close Door 25." The Computer says

"It's the Ood. They've gone mad." He pants

"How many of them?" demands Jefferson

"All of them! All fifty!" gasps Danny

"Danny, out of the way." Orders Jefferson. Danny doesn't move.

'Out of the way!" He pushes Danny out of the way of the door.

"But they're armed! They're da..." Jefferson starts to open the door.  
"It's the interface device. I don't know how, but they're using it as a weapon!" Danny warns

"Open door 25."

Jefferson opens the door, the Ood are standing on the other side. One of them immediately advances, sticking the communication orb to the guard's forehead. She screams and slumps to the floor, dead. Jefferson open fires.

"Jefferson, what's happening, there?" Zach's voice comes through the comm.

"I've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?" answers Jefferson

"All I've got is a bolt gun. With uh... all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is."

"Given the emergency... I recommend Strategy Nine." Jefferson yells

"Strategy Nine agreed. Right, we need to get everyone together. Rose? What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?" Zach asks

"I can't get any reply, just... nothing, I keep trying, but it's..." Rose's voice is shaking with fear, and her eyes are misty.

Just then, the communication device crackles and the Doctor's voice comes through.

"No! Sorry, I'm fine. Still here!"

"You could've said, you stupid bastard!" Rose says, nearly crying with relief

"Whoa! Careful! Don't curse in front of Wolfe, yeah? Anyway, it's both of us, me and Ida. Hello! But the seal opened up. It's gone. All we've got left is this chasm" The Doctor says

"How deep is it?" asks Zach

"Can't tell. It looks like it goes on forever." Answers the Doctor

"The pit is open. That's what the voice said." Rose gasps

"But there's nothing? I mean... There's... nothing coming out?" Zach asks

"No, no. No sign of "the Beast"." The Doctor nonchalantly answers

"It said "Satan"." Rose says to him, fear in her voice

"Come on, Rose. Keep it together." The Doctor encourages

"Is there no such thing?" She asks, softly. There's no reply

"Doctor? Doctor, tell me there's no such thing."

Still Silence.

"Ida? I recommend that you withdraw. Immediately." Zach orders

"But... we've come all this way!" Ida says, sounding defeated

"Okay, that was an order. With-Draw. With that thing open, the whole planet's shifted. One more inch and we fall into the black hole. So this thing stops right now." Orders Zach

"But it's not much better up there with the Ood" Ida says

"I'm initiating Strategy Nine, so I need the two of you back up top immediately, no ar..." Static is heard.

"Ida?" He calls

Silence. We wait in a very heavy silence before

"Rose, we're coming back." The Doctor's vice comes through the Comm.

"Best news I've heard all day" Rose grins with relief.

Jefferson released the safety catch on his gun. He's looking down at Toby.

"What're you doing?" demands Rose

"He's infected. He brought that thing on board. You saw it." Toby's eyes widen in shock. He's cornered, cowering on the floor.

"Are you gonna start shooting your own people, now? Is that what you're gonna do? Is it?" demands Rose

"If necessary." Jefferson answers, coldly

"Well then, you'll have to shoot me "if necessary", so what's it gonna be?"

Jefferson pauses. Rose kneels next to Toby.

"Look at his face. Whatever it was, it's gone. It passed into the Ood. You saw it happen. He's clean." Jefferson considers. Toby is breathing heavily, frightened.

"Any sign of trouble... I'll shoot him." Jefferson grudgingly agrees

"Are you all right?" I ask, following Rose's example and coming closer to Toby.

"Yeah... I…Dunno." He shakes his head

"Can you remember anything?" Rose asks

"Just... it was so angry. It was... fury and rage... death..." From casting terrified glances around the room, he meets Rose's eyes. "It was him. It was the devil."

"Come here." Rose draws Toby into a comforting hug. He clings to her, eyes still wide open with horror over her shoulder.

Now we wait in an awkward silence for Ida and the Doctor to comm us.

Okay, we're in. Bring us up." Ida's ovice says

"Ascension in..." Jefferson says

Rose smiles with anticipation.

"Three... two... one."

The mechanism fails. The lights go out.


	47. Chapter 47

_Rose smiles with anticipation._ _"Three... two... one." The mechanism fails. The lights go out._

"This is the Darkness. This is my domain." The display on the screen changes to that of several of the Ood standing together

"You little things that live in the light... clinging to your feeble Suns...which die in the..."

"That's not the Ood. Something's talking through them." Zach tells us through the comms.

"Only the Darkness remains." Cackles the voice

"This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctury Base Six representing the Torchwood archive. You will identify yourself."Zach Commands

"You know my name." the voice hisses

"What do you want?" demands Zach

"You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave." The voice cackles again

"It's him. It's him. It's him..." Toby mutters, panicking

The Doctor's voice comes through the Comm addressing the voice.

"If you are the Beast, then answer me this: which one? Hmm? 'Cos the universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Archivits... Pordonity, Christianity... Pash-Pash, New Judaism... Sanclar... Church of the Tin Vagabond, which devil are you?"

"All of them." It responds

"What, then you're the truth behind the myth?"

"This one knows me, as I know him. The killer of his own kind" rumbles the Beast

"How did you end up on this rock?"

"The disciples of the Light rose up against me. And chained me in the pit for all eternity." The Beast roars

"When was this?"

"Before time." It answers

"What does that mean?!" demands the Doctor

"Before time."

"What does "before time" mean?"

" Before light and time and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created." Rumbles the beast

"That's impossible. No life could have existed back then."

"Is that your religion?" growls the voice

"It's a belief."

"You know nothing. All of you. So small. The Captain, so scared of command…The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife…The scientist, still running from daddy…The little boy who lied…The virgin... the child of the storm and the Wolf, still hiding her precious secret." I stiffen, glancing up worried. "..and the lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon."

I freeze, as I look at Rose who is as white as a sheet.

"Doctor, what does it mean?" she demands

"Rose, don't listen." The Doctor begs her

"What does it mean?" she asks, terrified

"You will die... and I will live." It howls

The footage of the Ood suddenly cuts and is replaced with a roaring horned beast, which causes everyone to gasp and stumble backwards.

"What the hell was that?" gasps Danny

They're all speaking over one another, frantic.

"I had that thing inside my head!" Toby frantically says

"Doctor, what did it mean?" Rose repeats, her voice higher pitched

"What do we do? Jefferson?" Danny demands

"Captain? What's the situation on Strategy Nine?" Jefferson demands into the comm

"Zach, what do we do?" Danny asks

"What if I can fix it? ... the black hole, everything's true…" Toby murmurs

"Captain, report." Demands Jefferson

"We've lost pictures..." starts Zach

"Doctor, how did it know all of..." Rose starts

I watch in panic as we all descend into chaos.

"Did anyone get... " Ida starts

"Jefferson?" Zach calls

"Stop..." The Doctor starts

"What did it mean?" demands Rose

"Everyone just stop..." The Doctor tries again

"What do we do?" Danny yells

"Report?" Jefferson asks

The Comms screech loudly. The babble stops and silence falls.

"If you want voices in the dark, then listen to mine; that thing is playing on very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares, all that stuff." The Doctor says

"But that's how the devil works." Whimpers Danny

"Or a good psychologist.? The Doctor dismisses

"But... how did it know about my father?" Ida asks

There is a moment of silence.

"Okay, but what makes his version of the truth any better than mine? Hmm? Cos I'll tell you what I can see: humans. Brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across space. Flying in a tiny little rocket into the orbit of a black hole! Just for the sake of discovery, that's amazing! Do you hear me? Amazing. All of you. The captain, his officer, his elder, his genius, his friends. All with one advantage. The Beast is alone. We are not. If we can use that to fight against him-"

There is a loud bang and then silence.

Dust wafts onto the exploration deck.

"Doctor! We lost the cable! Doctor, are you all right?" Rose yells into the Comm

There's no reply.

"Doctor?" she tries again.

"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me?" Rose repeats, eyes filling with tears.

"I've still got life signs, but... we've lost the capsule." Zach's voice is the only answer

"Say something, are you there?" Begs Rose

"There's no way out." Zach says, and he pauses "They're stuck down there."

Rose runs to the shaft, Jefferson and Danny following. They peer down the lift shaft.

"But we've got to bring them back." She's half hysterical

"They're ten miles down. We haven't got another ten miles of cable!" Answers Jefferson

Another loud bang on a door makes us jump

"Situation report." Jefferson says into the comms.

"It's the Ood. They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in." sighs Zack

"Yeah, it's the same on Door 25." Answers Jefferson

"How long's it gonna take?" I ask

"Well, it's only a basic frame, it should take ten minutes." There's another bang. "Eight." Jefferson replies, wincing slightly.

"I've got a security frame, it might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you." Zach informs us

"Right. So we need to stop them, or get out, or both." I say, glancing around at Rose, who is still panicking about the Doctor

"I'll take both, yeah? But how?" Danny looks around, hopelessly

"You heard the Doctor. Why do you think that thing cut him off? 'Cos he was making sense. He was telling you to think your way out of this. Come on! For a start, we need some lights. There's gotta be some sort of power somewhere." Rose has snapped into action. Whatever worry or loss she felt about the Doctor was gone and replaced by her courage, and determination.

"There's nothing I can do. Some captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons." Zack bitterly sighs

"That's what the Doctor meant: press the right buttons." Rose tells him

"They've gutted the generators! But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that... Mr Jefferson?" Zach says, sounding much more hopeful "Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety..."

"Opening bypass conduits, sir." Repeats Jefferson

"Channeling rocket feed. In 3... 2... 1... power." Zach says

The lights come back on. Rose claps.

"There we go!" she grins

"Let there be light!" Laughs Danny

"What about that Strategy Nine thing?" Rose asks Jefferson

"Not enough power. It needs a hundred percent." Jefferson answers, grimly

"All right, we need a way out. Zach, Mr Jefferson, you start working on that." Rose orders as she approaches Toby. "Toby, what about you?"

"I'm not a soldier. I can't do anything." Whimpers Toby

"No, you're the archaeologist. What do you know about the pit?" Rose asks him

"Well, n-n-nothing. We can't even translate the language." Toby hangs his head

"Right." Rose turns away, ready to busy herself with something else.

"H-hold on. Maybe." Toby starts, looking nervous

"What is it?" Rose asks

"Since that thing was inside my head, it's like the letters made more sense."

"Well... get to work. Anything you can translate, just... anything." Rose orders "As for you, Danny-boy, you're in charge of the Ood, any way of stopping them?" She says, and I am struck by how, without the Doctor, she is becoming just like him, following his lead, trying to save everyone and all on her own.


	48. Chapter 48

_She says, and I am struck by how, without the Doctor she is becoming just like him, following his lead, trying to save everyone and all on her own._

"Well... I don't know." Danny winces

"Then find out. The sooner we get control of the base, the sooner we can get the Doctor out. Shift." Rose smacks him playfully and then looks down the never-ending shaft.

She turns away, shakes her head, as if to block the worry out, and comes over to me.

"Wolfe, do you have any ideas?"

"Not yet, but I could try and help Jefferson." I offer, and she nods, smiling at me

"Good, go on over."

I hurry to were Jefferson is pounding on the computer.

Rose watches Jefferson and I

"Open junctions five... six... seven..." there's a bang on the door "... reroute filters sixteen to twenty-four. Go." Mutters Jefferson to me as he works

"There's all sorts of viruses that could stop the Ood. Trouble is, we haven't got them on board." Danny announces to Rose

"Well, that's handy, listing all the things we haven't got. We haven't got a swimming pool either. Or a Tescos." Rose sarcastically responds

The computer bleeps.

"Oh my God. It says yes! I can do it! Hypothetically, if you flip the monitor, broadcast a flare... it can disrupt the telepathy! Brainstorm!" Grins Danny, like a child

"What happens to the Ood?" demands Rose

"It'll tank them, spark out!"

"There we are, then! Do it!" Rose orders

"No, but..." he shakes his head as his face falls. "I'd have to transmit from the central monitor. We need to go to Ood Habitation."

Another bang on the door, causing sparks to fly.

"That's what we'll do, then." She says, determined "Mr Jefferson, sir! Any way out?"

"Just about... there's a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base. We should be able to gain access from here." He offers

"Ventilation shafts?" I ask

:Yeah, I appreciate the reference, but there's no ventilation. No air, in fact, at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms." Jefferson adds

Another bang.

"But, I can manipulate the oxygen field from here. Create discrete pockets of atmosphere... if I control it manually... I can follow you through the network." Zach's voice offers

"Right, so we go down, and you make the air follow us. By hand." Rose agrees

"You wanted me pressing buttons." Zach says

"Yeah, I asked for it, okay, we need to get to Ood Habitation, work out a route." Rose orders again.

Another violent bang on Door 25.

"Okay I have the route do you see Zach?"Jefferson asks

"Yes, now get going!"

We hurry to the wall panel and open it, Rose, Jefferso, Toby and I are ready to enter the maintenance tunnels, but Danny is still at the computer.

"Danny!" barks Rose

"Hold on! Just conforming..." he begs

"Dan, you gotta go now!" Jefferson yells

There's another bang

"Come on!" I call

The computer bleeps.

"Yeah!" Danny takes what looks like an orange computer chip from the machine. He shows them as he hurries over to the entrance to the maintenance tunnels.

"Put that in the monitor... and it's a bad time to be an Ood!" he shows us the chip

"We're coming back. Have you got that?" Rose adds, determined "We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor out."

"Okay, Danny, you go first, then you Miss Tyler, then Toby, then Miss Wolfe, and I'll go last in defence of position. Now come on! Quick as you can!" Jefferson orders us.

We lower ourselves down into the tunnels in the order Jefferson specified. I land in the tunnels after Toby as Rose comments

"God, it stinks. You all alright?"

"Yeah, I'm laughing." Mutters Danny

Jefferson lands behind me

"Which way do we go?" Danny asks

"Just go straight ahead. Keep going 'til I say so." Zach orders and we start crawling down the tunnels.

"Not your best angle, Danny." Rose jokes, staring at Danny's bum.

"Oi! Stop it!" Danny's voice is higher pitched with outrage

"I dunno, it could be worse." Toby says, staring at Rose's bum

"Oi!" Rose exclaims, indignant

"Straight along until you find junction 7.1. Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you." Zach promises

We finally reach a junction in the tunnels and sit down, out of breath. "We're at 7.1, sir."

"Okay, I've got you... I'm just aerating the next section. I

"Getting kinda cramped, sir... can't you hurry up?" Danny whines

"I'm working on half power, here." Zach responds

"Stop complaining." Mutters Jefferson

"Mr. Jefferson says stop complaining." I mutter to Rose

"Mr Jefferson says: stop complaining." Rose tells Danny

"I heard." Danny responds, flatly

"He heard." Rose says to me

"He heard" I tell Mr. Jefferson

"But the air's getting a bit thin." Whines Toby

"He's complaining now."

"I heard." Jefferson answers

Danny wipes the sweat of his face. Rose sniffs, her face screwed up in disgust.

"Danny, is that you?" she demands

"I'm not exactly happy." Danny defends

"I'm just moving the air..." Zach assures us "I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm... or it's gonna feel worse."

There's a loud banging from the other end of the tunnel. Jefferson aims his gun.

"What was that?"

"Mr Jefferson, what was that?" demands Rose

"What's that noise?" I ask Jefferson

"Captain... what was that?" Demands Jefferson

"The junction in Habitation Five's been opened, it must be the Ood. They're in the tunnels!" Zach responds

"Well, open the gate!" cries Danny

"I've gotta get the air in!" Zach replies

"Just open it! ... sir." Danny yells

"Where are they? Are they close?" Rose demands

"Don't know, I can't tell - I can't see them... the computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms!" Zach replies

"Whose idea was that?" I demand, annoyed

"Open the gate!" Shrieks Danny

The gate opens and we lunge through it

"Danny, turn left. Immediate left." Zach orders

We crawl down the tunnel as fast as we can, Jefferson going backwards with his gun at the ready.

"The Ood, sir, can't you trap them? Cut off the air?" Jefferson suggests

"Not without cutting off yours!" Zach replies "Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan, they're gonna catch up!" Danny does as he says, frantic.

"I'll maintain defence of position!" Jefferson says

"You can't stop!" Rose gasps

"Miss Tyler, that's my job. You've got your task, now see to it." Jefferson orders

"You heard what he said, now shift." Toby orders

We move on, leaving Jefferson.

Soon, we can hear gunshots and we crawl as fast as possible.

We reach the next juction.

"8.2. Open 8.2. Zach!" Danny orders

"I've gotta aerate it!" Zach says

"Open it now!" Shrieks Danny

"I'm trying." Zach snarls

Danny thumps on the gate, desperate.

"Danny, stop it. That's not helping." Rose barks

"Zach, get it open!" Toby says

Gate 8.2 opens, allowing us through it.

"Come on!" Danny orders

Rose glances back down the corridor before following.

" Danny, turn left and head for 9.2. That's the last one. Jefferson..." Zach says "You've gotta move faster. Move!"

"Mr Jefferson, come on...!" I yell down the hall

"Keep going! It's too late!" Toby grabs me and yanks me forward.

When he does, our skin touches and I am soaring through his terror, and confusion and at the same time, jittery excitement and glee. I shake my head, and stumble in front of him, breaking my connection to him. I frown as I look at him, studying his facial features, but all I see is terror.

"Regret to inform, sir... I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days." We hear Jefferson's sad pant  
"I can't open 8.1, John. Not without losing air for the others."

"And quite right too, sir. I think I bought them a little time." Jefferson answers

We reach the end of the tunnel.

"There's nothing I can do, Jefferson. I'm sorry." Zach quietly says

"You've done enough, sir. Made a very good captain under the circumstances." Jefferson compliments

I feel the warm burn of tears as I listen to his heartbreaking sacrifice.  
"All I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section... can you speed up the process of its removal?" Pants Jefferson

"I don't understand. What do you mean?" Zach asks

"Well... if I might chose the manner of my departure, sir... lack of air seems more natural than... well... let's say... death by Ood. I'd appreciate it, sir!" Yells Jefferson

"God speed, Mr Jefferson." Zach murmurs

"Thank you, sir."

"Report... Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD... deceased... with honours." Zach's broke voice reports

We sit in silence for a moment.

"Zach... we're at the final junction. 9.2. And er... if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives." Danny says, calmer now

"Noted. Opening 9.2."

The gate opens. The Ood are right behind it, waiting for us. we scramble away, shocked.

"Lower 9.2. Zach, lower it!" Shrieks Rose

"Back! Back! Back!" Orders Danny

"We can't go back! The gang point's sealed off, we're stuck!" Toby wails


	49. Chapter 49

_"We can't go back! The gang point's sealed off, we're stuck!" Toby wails_

"Come on!" Rose shoves away a grille above her head. She heaves herself out, and Danny follows.

"Go ahead of me" Orders Toby, dragging me forward and helping me up

I emerge through the floor of the corridor above, Beside Danny and Rose "Come on! Toby, come on!" I call

"Toby, get out of there!" urges Rose

"Help me! Oh, my God, help me!" Toby cries

Rose and Danny hoist him up through the hole.

"It's this way!" Danny calls as he runs down the hall

We follow Danny along the corridor, the Ood in pursuit.

"Hurry up!" Yells Zach

We burst through the doors into Ood Habitation, and rush over the computer. The Ood already inside look up at our arrival.

"Get it in!" Rose yells

"Danny, get it done." Toby cries

"Transmit!" I yell

"I'm trying, I'm trying! I'm getting at it..." Danny answers

"Stop them!" Toby gasps as the Ood are making their way up the stairs towards us.

"Danny, get that thing transmitting!" Rose orders again

Danny bungs it into the computer. The reading goes down to Basic 0. The Ood clutch at their heads and stumble about. They finally collapse to the floor. Silence falls.

"You did it! We did it!" Rose cheers

"Yes!" We laugh in delight,

Rose throws her arms around Danny, then hugs Toby, who grins. Danny and Toby hug, while Rose scoops me itno a tight hug.

"Zach, we did it. The Ood are down. Now we've gotta get the Doctor." Rose tells Zach

"I'm on my way." He answers

Rose puts me down and rushes from Ood Habitation.

We all follow her, and when we get there, a moments hesitation, Rose picks up the comm.

"Doctor? Are you there? Doctor? Ida? Can you hear me?" she demands

"The comms are still down. I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute." Zach starts to work at the computer. Rose looks on, anxious, eyes wide.

"Doctor? Are you there? Doctor, Ida? Can you hear me?" Rose tries again when Zach nods "Are you there, Doctor?"

"He's gone." Ida's voice comes back and my blood turns to Ice

"What do you mean, "he's gone"?" demands Rose, quietly

"He fell. Into the pit. And I don't know how deep it is, miles and miles and miles." Ida's voice is soft

"But... what do you mean "he fell"?" Rose's voice breaks

"I couldn't stop him. He said your name...he…he said you'd know.." Ida's voice fades

Zach gently tugs the comm. away from Rose. She's silent, staring straight ahead.

"I'm sorry." Zach whispers

Rose does not respond. He speaks into the comm.

"Ida? There's no way of reaching you. No cable, no back-up... you're ten miles down... We can't get there."

"You should see this place, Zach. It's beautiful. Well, I wanted to discover things... And here I am." She sighs

"We've got to abandon the base. I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again." Zach says

"But we'll never find out what it was?" Ida asks

"Well, maybe that's best." Zach winces

"Yeah."

There is a pause.

"Officer Scott..."

"It's all right. Just go. Good luck." Ida answers

"Thank you. Danny, Toby, close down the feed links. Get the retrotopes online. Then get to the rocket, strap yourselves in. We're leaving." Zach orders

Rose turns to him.

"I'm not going." Rose says "Take Wolfe, make sure she's safe, but I'm not leaving."

"Rose, there's space for you both." Zach says, while I squeak out "What?!"

"No, I'm gonna wait for the Doctor. Just like he waited for me." Rose says, eyes distant

"I'm sorry, but... he's dead." Zach says gently, and tears fill my eyes

"You don't know him. 'Cos he's not..." Her voice breaks up with repressed tears "I'm telling you, he's... he's not... and even if he was, how could I leave him? All on his own, all the way down there? No. I'm gonna stay." Rose shakes her head

Zach nods. "Then I apologize for this. Danny, Toby, make her secure." Danny and Toby come up on either side of Rose, taking an arm each.

"No, no! No! No! No! Let me go!" she's straining, screaming at them "Get off me! I'm not leaving!"

Zach plunges a needle into her arm, sedating her.

"No..." Moans Rose as she loses consciousness

"I have lost too many people. I am not leaving you behind." He hoists her over his shoulder, before looking at me "You better not fight this."

"I'm coming." I murmur, following him sadly

"Let's get her on board." Zach orders

We leave the room and start down the Ood-littered corridor

"Did that one just move? It did." Gasps Toby

The Ood opens its eyes and lifts its head.

"The telepathic field, it's reasserting itself" Danny cries

"Move it, get to the rocket, move!" Zach yells and we hurry down the corridor.

We climb into the Rocket.

Zach places Rose into a chair

"Buckle her up." Orders Zach, and I do.

Toby sits down next to her and buckles himself up.

I sit on his other side, and buckle in as Zach starts announcing nonsense. "Dislocating B-Clamp, C-Clamp, raising blue nitrates to maximum. Toby, how's the negapact feed line?"

"Clear! Ready to go, sir. For God's sakes, get us out of here!" Danny answers

Rose stirs.

"Captain... I think we're gonna have a problem passenger..." Toby says

"Keep an eye on her." Orders Zach

"Wait... I'm not..."

"It's all right, Rose, you're safe." Soothes Toby

"I'm not going anywhere!" She tugs at her seatbelt, shouting "Get me out of this thing! Get me out!"

"And... lift-off!" Zach cries

Rose spots the bolt gun, she grabs it and points it at Zach.

"Take me back to the planet." She orders

"Rose…" I say, softly, urging her to stop

Zach doesn't reply. He doesn't even turn around.

"Take me back!" She yells again

"Or what?" demands Zach

"Or I'll shoot."

Zach turns to her "Would you, though? Would you really? Is that what your Doctor would want? In front of your daughter?" Rose holds his gaze for a moment,, before her eyes flash to me.

Defeated, Rose slumps back in her chair, dropping the gun.

"Sorry, but it's too late anyway. Take a look outside. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted." Zach says

Rose looks out of the window.

Toby starts to laugh quietly to himself, as Rose does up her seatbelt again.

"What's the joke?" Danny asks

"Just... we made it. We escaped. We actually did it." No one shares his mirth.

"Not all of us." Mutters Rose

"We're not out of it yet. We're still the first people in history to fly away from a black hole. Danny, read me the stats." Zach grimly responds

"Gravity funnel holding, sir. Always holding." Danny responds

"Stats. at 53, funnel status at 66.5. Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir. All the way back home."

Rose stares out of the window, so sad.

"Coordinates set for Planet Earth." Toby announces, the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in an unpleasant smile.

Silence falls, and Rose starts muttering to herself

"It doesn't make sense. We escaped, but there's a thousand ways it could've killed us. It could've... ripped out the air or... I dunno, burnt us, or anything. But it let us go. Why? Unless it wanted us to escape..."

"Hey, Rose, do us a favour... Shut up." Toby snarls at her

Rose stares at him. He looks away.

"Almost there. We'll be beyond the reach of the black hole in 40... 39..."

The rocket begins to shake violently.

"What happened? What was that?" Danny shrieks

"What's he doing? What is he doing?" howls Toby

"We've lost the funnel! Gravity collapse!" Zach yells

"What does that mean?" Rose looks horrified

"We can't escape. We're headed straight for the black hole! The rocket turns back on itself and spirals towards the black hole.

Rose peers out the window

"It's the planet. The planet's moving. It's falling." She sits back in her seat, defeated.

I glance at Toby, and reel backwards in shock. He's glaring at me, eyes red, symbols all over his skin.

"Rose!" I shriek, and she recoils away from him the best she can in her seat.

I suddenly understand the underlying excitement I felt when I touched him. Lucifer or whatever the beast is was inside him all along, ready to leave the planet.

"I am the rage..." Toby growls

"It's Toby, Zach, do something..." Rose yells

"And the bile and the ferocity." Continues Toby

"Just do something!" I scream

"I am the Prince and the Fall and the Darkness..." Toby speaks

"It's him! It's him! It's him!" panics Danny

"Stay where you are, the ship's not stable!" Zach orders

Toby expels a burst of flame from his mouth.

"What is he?! What the hell is he?!" shrieks Zach

"I shall never die! The thought of me is forever! In the bleeding hearts of men, in their vanity and obsession and lust..." Toby yells as Rose picks up the bolt gun. "Nothing shall ever destroy me. Nothing!" Rose points the gun at the front window.

"Go to hell." She yells, darkly. She fires, shattering the glass, she undoes Toby's seatbelt and he is sucked through the window and into outer space, headed straight for the black hole. He roars in fear and anger. "Emergency shield!" Zach orders

He presses a button and the emergency shield activates, covering the gaping hole. The rocket continues to shake and shudder, headed towards the black hole.

"We've still lost the gravity funnel. We can't escape the black hole!" Zach sighs

"But we stopped him. That's what the Doctor would've done." She reaches over and takes my hand

"Some victory. We're going in." Danny says, grimly

"The planet's lost orbit! It's falling!" Zach announces "The planet's gone."

Rose says nothing

"I'm sorry." Danny whispers

"Accelerate. I did my best. But hey, first Human Beings to fall inside a black hole. How about that? History." Zach tries to be positive, but it's met with silence.

Rose closes her eyes, still clutching my hand. We hold on tight as the rocket shakes violently. We all have their eyes screwed shut, ready for the impact, when... it stops. Silence falls.

"What happened?" I gasp.

We all lean to one side as the rocket turns.

"We're... turning." Zach says, utterly confused " We're turning around. We're turning away!"

"Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the my good ship, Tardis." The Doctor's gleeful voice comes through

Rose's mouth drops open and her eyes light up. I laugh aloud in joy

"Now, first thing's first, have you got a Rose Tyler on board?"

"I'm here! It's me! Oh, my God!" Rose cries, before she laughs and puts her hand over her face, giddy with relief and happiness

"And a Wolfe?" continues the Doctor

"I'm here too Doctor!" I laugh, tears brimming in my eyes with relief

"Where are you?" Rose asks

"I'm just towing you home. Gravity-schmavity. My people practically invented black holes. Well, in fact, they did. In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and captain, can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Rose Tyler and Wolfe, and I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?"

"She's alive!" crows Zach

"Yes! Thank God." Danny sighs

"Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right. I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet. Ah! Entering clear space, end of the line, mission closed."

Rose smiles to herself, so happy and relieved and proud of him, all at the same time. She looks over at me, grinning uncontrollably

"Landing in the Airlock now." The Doctor announces.

Rose unbuckles like lighting, and I follow her as she races down the small corridors.

She opens the airlock, and finds Ida sitting inside it before she rushes to the Tardis

"Zach, Ida's in the airlock!" I inform him through the Comm as Rose opens the Tardis door.

I head to the door to see the Doctor gather Rose up into his arms, lifting her clean off the floor. They both giggle, so happy to see one another again.

He swings her around for a moment, before placing her back on the floor, eyes never leaving hers.  
"I thought you…" her voice cracks

"I know. I'm sorry." He answers, sincerely

"I was fine being stranded, but without you…" she murmurs and buries her head under his chin.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He presses a long kiss to the top of her head.

He shuts his eyes and buries his head in her shoulder

After a few moments, he pulls himself up, and looks over towards me

"Wolfe!" he crows and I run over to him.

Rose pulls away and I jump into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck.  
"Don't you dare do that again!" I cry, clinging to him  
"I won't." he chuckles "I promise"

He shifts me so I am on his hip, and he grabs Rose's hand with his open hand.

"Come on." He tugs us over to the console.

"Zach? We'll be off, now. Have a good trip home." The Doctor says

"And the next time you get curious about something... oh... what's the point? You'll just go blundering in. The human race..." He shakes his head in amusement

"But Doctor, what did you find down there? That creature, what was it?" Ida asks

"I don't know! Never did decipher that writing. But that's good! Day I know everything? Might as well stop."

"What do you think it was? Really?" Rose looks up at the Doctor, and his eyes soften

"I think... we beat it. That's good enough for me." The Doctor says

"It said I was gonna die in battle." Rose's voice cracks with fear

The Doctor catches her eye.

"Then it lied." The Doctor responds, firmly

Rose smiles. That's all she needs to reassure her.

"Right, onwards, upwards, Ida, see you again, maybe!" The Doctor announces

"I hope so." Ida responds

"And thanks, boys!" Rose calls

"Hang on though, Doctor. You never really said... you three... who are you?"

"Oh..." He looks at Rose and I. "The stuff of legend." He grins as he pulls a lever and we watch the rotor rise and fall with smiles on our faces.


	50. Chapter 50

_"Oh..." He looks at Rose and I. "The stuff of legend." He grins as he pulls a lever and we watch the rotor rise and fall with smiles on our faces._

"So, I was thinking while I was down there, you know, when you are facing your own death, it's quite a nice time to think." The Doctor informs us. We're all snuggled up on the couch, watching _Tarzan_. "Maybe we should take a vacation. Just fun spots, try to avoid any hostile aliens and everything. No running for our lives or anything Just…fun and just…you know…the three of us." He looks over at Rose, whose eyes a bright with excitement

"Really?" she gasps "I thought you weren't one for a domestic lifestyle."

"Yeah…" he ruffles his hair, as if embarrassed "But you deserve something nice so…why not?"

"I think it sounds Brilliant!" I laugh, sitting up "Where would we go?"

"Well" The Doctor grins at me "I figured we could make it a three stop vacation. We each get to pick a place to spend a couple days in. Rose, I figured you should pick first." The Doctor offers

"Oh, I don't even know."

"All of time and space…where do you want to start?" He asks her, eyes bright.

She relaxes against him "We should go somewhere…warm." She sighs, turning slightly to look at him "With beaches and a shopping center."

She rolls completely over so her stomach is on his side. "and ice cream."

He laughs.

"Well, I was thinking of a place I promised to take you, but never did. How about Barcelona?"

"The planet not the city?" Rose grins

"Yep!" The Doctor replies

"Sounds lovely!" I agree

"It's settled then! Next stop- Barcelona!" he crows and we collapse into a fit of giggles.

"Come on!"

He hops up and grabs our hands, dragging us down the corridors to the console. He is prancing around the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers, full of energy and enthusiasm. The Doctor spins around with a triumphant "ha! ", his arms wide with glee.

"and here…we…Go!" He shouts and with a jolt, the Tardis leaves the vortex where it was spinning mindlessly, and starts travelling to our decided vacation spot.

"Well go on then!" The Doctor laughs "Go and get packed! No Tardis, no space travel, just us on Barcelona!"

Rose tosses herself at him, in a hug. He swings her around, gleefully and plants her back on her feet. His arms are loose around her waist.

"Run." He whispers, and she smiles at him as they share a memory

Then she turns and runs down the Tardis hall and towards her room

I laugh and take off after her.

"Oh and remember it gets nippy at night!" The Doctor calls after us

Skidding down the hall, I stumble into my room, and start packing everything I can possibly imagine needing at the beach.

I pack four bathing suits, plenty of summery dresses, a couple of warmer outfits for night and a bunch of sun screen.

"Wolfe what do you think?" Rose calls as she dances into my room, wearing a pink, halter top bikini.

"Looks great Rose!" I smile at her

" _Thank_ you!" she twirls around again "You almost ready?"

"Yes!"

"I'm going to go put on a dress, be ready when I get back, then we'll lug our stuff to the main console."

"Okay!"

"Oi! Doctor!" Rose shouts when she leaves my room

"What, Rose?" The Doctor's distant yell responds

"We almost there?" She shouts

"Should be there any minute!" He yells back

"That fast?" She scoffs

"Yes! I am making the Tardis work a little harder because she's going to get a break!"

"Well she better not get mad and drop us somewhere random, yeah?"

"Oi! Don't doubt the Tardis!"

I snort with laughter and pick out a loose, summery pale green dress. I trade in my converse for white sandals and instead of tying my hair in a ponytail I keep it out of my face with a hairpin, leaving it down.

Rose returns a few moments later, wearing a white sleeveless summer dress, falling only to her knees. The colour clearly reveals her pink bikini underneath.

"Ready to go?" she grins, two suitcases in tow.

"Ready!" I grab my backpack, suitcase, and I follow her back towards the console.

We drop our things near the door and sit on one of the ratty chairs.

"Have you ever been to the beach?" Rose asks me

"Nope."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. I was found on a beach, or a bay really, but that doesn't really count."

"Now I have such a big list of things you have to do!" She hops up and wanders around the console. "We have to build a sand castle and go snorkeling, and swim in the ocean,

"um Rose?" I try to interrupt, realizing with a start that I will have a bit of trouble with some of her plans

"…and watch the sun-or suns- set and maybe-"

"I see you already have a list of things to do!" The Doctor's voice chuckles.

We turn around and he's leaning on the doorframe, still dressed in his suit, but with a pair of sunglasses and sandals.

"Doctor? Why aren't you dressed for the beach?" I scold

"I am! Timelords can regulate their…" he trails off as Rose comes out from behind the console.

His jaw slackens and his eyes widen as he takes in Rose's outfit.

"uh-um their- ah" he stutters, as Rose breaks his eye contact, blushing and wrapping her arms around herself uncomfortably as he continues to stutter "B-body, ah, Body temperature. Yes." He finishes, looking at the floor.

I fight a laugh at the awkwardness in the room.

The Tardis alarm starts going off and the Doctor snaps from embarrassed fool into pilot mode.

"Oh no!" He groans as he looks at the screen

"Doctor! We better not end up in a different dimension again!" Rose scolds as she takes her place right beside the Doctor at the console, all of the previous awkwardness forgotten.

"What is it?" I ask

"She's burning energy at an exponential rate!" The Doctor says "If I can't get her to stabilize we'll be going fast enough to enter the core, causing a cataclysmic seismic event at the surface and a singularity at the core, which will- Push that Button!"

"A what?" demands Rose as she slams her hand on the button the Doctor indicated

"Long story short, going too fast equals bad landing!" I yell to her "Doctor what do you need me to do?"

"Grab the lever thing there!" He points to a small, golden handle

"This?" I grab it

"Yes! Now when I say go start turning it as fast as you can!" He orders

"Okay!"

"Rose press the blue button!"

"Done!"

"Now Wolfe!"

I start spinning the lever as fast as possible.

With a screech and a moan and her familiar wheeze, the Tardis comes to a stop.

We freeze for a moment, panting.

"Whooo!" The Doctor grins, throwing his hands up in the air, before running them through his disheveled hair "Well, that's one way to start a vacation!"  
"We made it!" laughs Rose, wrapping her arms around the Doctor with relief, before turning around and rushing towards the door.

She opens it and a rush of warm air and the smell of salt fills the Tardis.

"Oh Doctor! It's gorgeous!"

She steps out of the Tardis, and I can see sand and hear the sound of an ocean.

"Come on then!" She calls back to us.

The Doctor grabs his bag, and one of hers and follows her outside

 _Stupid Timelord_ chuckles the Tardis as I pick up my bags

"You did that on purpose!" I accuse, a smile spreading across my face

A content and cheeky purr is the only answer I receive.

"Wolfe? You coming?" The Doctor asks as he returns for Rose's other bag.

"Yes!" I follow him out, gasping as soon as my feet sink into the soft silky texture of the sand.

The pearly white beach seems to go on endlessly, the ocean a sparklingly clear turquoise. The beach is lined with shrubbery and trees, all different shades of pink and silver. The twin suns, orange and red, in the blue-grey sky twinkle and glow. A soft breeze smelling of salt wafts around us, and the only building anywhere close is this grand cream and coral colored hotel, enclosed behind a steel fence which stretches at least one third the length of the beach. All across the sand and in the water aliens of all different sorts are lying or playing or swimming.

"Alright. Rose, Wolfe, why don't you take the bags and walk over to that hotel. Wait for me in the lobby. I will find somewhere a bit less conspicuous to park the Tardis." The Doctor orders

"Alright. Come on Wolfe." Rose grins, and I take the Doctor's bag and start walking towards the ramp leading to the hotel

"How long did the Doctor say he'd be?"

"He didn't" I answer her, though it's been at least 15 minutes.

"I swear if he's gone off…I'm going to slap him harder than my Mum did!" she snarls

"Oi! What I do?" demands the Doctor from behind us

"Nothing!" Grins Rose as she turns around "Just speculating about what I would do if you'd decided to wander off."

"Oh. Lucky I decided to turn up, yeah?" he chuckles, eyes bright with excitement

"Definitely." I grab his hand and he swings it gleefully

"Come on!" He drawls, nudging Rose with his shoulder "Let's go check in."

He grabs his bag and we hurry to the check-in.

A very scrawny bug-like alien is working there, with a bowtie.

"Oh Hello there! I love your bowtie!" The Doctor grins, before turning to us "Always wanted to wear a bowtie, but never really could pull it off. Recently anyway. I believe I wore one when I was younger…Ialso recall a scarf and celery… I-"

Rose gestures to the waiting manager "Um, Doctor?"

" _Anyway_ , as I was saying, we'd like to check in. Reservation for John Smith?" The Doctor continues

"Here is your key. Room 36/79" The bug thing says through a mask on his mouth.

"Thank you." The Doctor accepts the metal ring and slips it into his pocket.

"To the elevators!" he grins, and we follow him to the elevator

"What floor are we on Doctor?" Rose asks

"36, you see that's what the first part of the number is for. The 79th is the room number." The Doctor explains as he presses the button for the 36th floor

The doors open and we follow the Doctor down the hallway.

"75…76…77…78…79! Here we are!" he crows as we finally reach out door. The Doctor whips out the ring the bug gave him and presses it into the slot on the door. Immediately a handle pops out of the door. The Doctor removes the ring, slides it into his pocket and opens the door.

Bright light momentarily blinds us from the wall of floor to ceiling windows in the sitting room. Everything is cream and various shades of blue. The couch and sitting chairs are a rich royal blue, and the coffee table is baby blue, the carpet cream and the floors dark wood. A television sits on a periwinkle piece of furniture. The curtains are sea blue and the windows are actually sliding doors, opening to a balcony overlooking the beach and the water. A kitchenette is off to the left, the counters some sort of pale white stone. There are two bedrooms, on opposite sides of the main room. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, a large bed, a desk and sliding doors connecting to the main balcony.

"It's so beautiful here!" sighs Rose, flopping onto one of the beds.

"Absolutely gorgeous." I sigh, climbing onto the bed and laying next to her.

"Come on then, get unpacked and let's head down to the beach!" The Doctor urges us

"Wolfe and I are going nowhere until you are dressed appropriately for the beach Doctor!" Rose tells him, firmly

"But Rose I already explained that I can-"

"I know, I know, but I don't care. If you want to go, you change into a proper bathing suit." Rose sits up

"But Rose-" Whines the Doctor

"No. Get on with it." Rose orders, laughter in her eyes.

He pouts out of the room and goes to get changed, while Rose chuckles.

"I can't wait to get in the water!" Rose sighs

"I know…by the way Rose? I…um, I can't swim. I've never learned." I admit

"Really?" she looks surprised "Why didn't you say earlier?"

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to ruin your excitement…" I look away, embarrassed

"Don't worry! The Doctor and I'll teach you!" Grins Rose "It'll be fun!"

"What'll be fun?" The Doctor asks as he appears in the doorway.

He's dressed in what probably is the only brown pin stripe bathing suit in existence. He's looking at me for an answer, but I am too busy being painfully aware of the way Rose's eyes are traveling up his lean form, taking in his bare chest and abs.

"I-I said you and I could teach Wolfe how to swim." Rose informs him, her eyes finally coming to rest at his face.

"I'd Love to!" The Doctor agrees, "So what do you think?" he gestures to his bathing suit and Rose's face turns pink

"Oh! Um, it looks good. Very, um, Beachy." Rose answers, still disconcerted by the Doctor's appearance.

"Brilliant!" Crows the Doctor running forward and grabbing one of our hands in each of his "Now let's go!"


	51. Chapter 51

_"Brilliant!" Crows the Doctor running forward and grabbing one of our hands in each of his "Now let's go!"_

The Doctor bounds into the ocean like a freed puppy. He races through the shallows, water flying in all directions.

Rose rips off her pale cover up and charges after him, laughing.

"Doctor wait up!" She laughs, and he freezes, turning around, eyes bright with excitement.

"Come on!" He yells as she runs through the water towards him, splashing as she goes.

I walk to the water's edge much slower. A wave breaks on the shore and the cool water washes over my feet, up to ankles. I continue into the water, which now breaks right at my knees. Walking further, the water is up to the middle of my stomach, and when a wave passes, it smacks me right under the chin. The next wave slaps me in the face and I cough as I get a mouthful of the salty water. I take another step, as I wipe my eyes of the water. Too late, I realize that there is a steep, maybe ten-foot drop off.

I slide down the sandy embankment and flail under the crystal clear water. Looking around, I can see endless amounts of green and gold coral. Countless fish of all different colors swim around me. I look up, a good ten feet of water between the top and me. I swing my arms around, wildly, trying to get to the surface and scaring the fish nearby me. I only succeed in getting myself a few inches off the bottom. I turn and start trying to climb the sandy hill slid down.

The sand billows around me as I claw at it, making the water murky. The sand is too loose for me to make any progress on.

I kick my legs, trying to push off the bottom, and make it a few feet up, but now I am really desperate for air. My lungs burn and my muscles ache. Looking around, I am desperate for someone to notice me, but I can't make any noise, unless I give up the little air I have left and I am growing too tired to move my body much. I don't see the Doctor or Rose anywhere.

My eyesight blurs with exhaustion. My legs collapse underneath me, and I land on the ocean floor in a small cloud of sand.

Time seems to pass slowly and I can't help but think

 _At least I got to meet my Mom and Dad._

Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grabs me around the waist and heaves me upwards. We soar up and out of the water. I gasp for air.

"Are you okay?" demands the Doctor, turning me around in his grasp and clutching my very wet and exhausted body against him.

"Yeah." I pant,

"Thank God, you scared me. I turned around and you were gone and-." He breaks off, brushing my wet hair from where it was plastered on my face before holding me against him, his hand pressing my head into his shoulder.

"Is she okay?" Rose demands, panting herself, as she stops swimming next to us  
"She'll be fine, but we ought to teach her how to swim. She's lucky she has two hearts. She made it longer under there than most people would" The Doctor answers.

Rose nods, and chuckles "Well there's no time like the present. Wolfe, do you feel well enough to learn how to swim?"

"Yes." I nod, eagerly

"Let's start with floating. That's how my Mum started with me." Rose offers and the Doctor slowly lays me down on my back in the water. I flail slightly, nervous.

"Just hold still Wolfe. Let the water support your weight." Rose softly says and I relax.

I feel the Doctor's hands under my back and legs slowly release, and I lay there, in the water, weightless, looking up at the sky. It feels amazing. I giggle and Rose laughs with me. I feel her take my hand and in my peripheral vision I see her lie on her back in the water with me.

"Doctor." Rose hisses, and he takes my other hand, and we lay, a human triangle, floating under the blue sky and twin suns.

"Wolfe we need to reapply your sunscreen." Rose calls me from the water in a very motherly way. She's had enough swimming and was tanning on the beach.

"Come on Rose! She's only just figured out how to Doggy Paddle, let her practice a little." Whines the Doctor, giving Rose a begging look

"No buts! I won't have Wolfe burning on my watch. You either Doctor. You're so pale having been under all those layers of suit! You get over here and reapply as well!" Rose orders

The Doctor and I head back to shore, the Doctor sulking slightly.

We walk up the beach to Rose.

She gets up as we stand, dripping wet, by her towel.

"Oi!" she scolds, "Don't get me all wet. Dry yourselves off and then come here."

I grab my blue towel, the Doctor grabs his brown one, and we dry ourselves off the best we can.

"Wolfe." Rose calls and I walk over. She takes the handful of sunscreen and begins slathering it on my arms and legs. "Turn around."

I turn and she slathers it all over my back, neck and shoulders. "Turn back."

She dabs a bit on my nose, making us laugh, before finishing covering my face.

"There you are." She plants a kiss on the top of my head.

"Thank you."

"Alright then, I am now covered, can we please go back to the water now?" The Doctor begs

"No, because I know you can't reach your back, Doctor, so no! You're not covered!"

"But Rose-!"

"Turn around!"

He turns around, while I laugh

"She really has you wrapped around her finger doesn't she?" I whisper to him and he nods, sheepish as she starts slathering his back in sunscreen.

" _Now_ you can go." Rose says, stepping back.

"Let's go!" The Doctor takes my hand and we hurry back to the shore.

We splash into the water and continue swimming.

"Doctor! It's almost sunset! We need to go and get ready for dinner. I'm bloody starving! Plus I don't want Wolfe to be too sore to swim tomorrow!" Rose calls

"But Rose-" The Doctor and I chorus

"Come on!"

"Ten minutes!" The Doctor bargains

"Two."

"Seven."

"Five." She offers

"Deal!" The Doctor agrees, before looking at me. "Ready Wolfe? I am going to swim out and I want you to come swim to me by yourself, okay?"

"Okay!" I nod

I wait, bobbing in the ocean waves as he swims out, over the drop off where I fell last time and farther and farther away.

"Come on!" yells the Doctor, his voice distant.

I start kicking, my arms going in alternate circles around my head the way the Doctor taught me. I claw at the water, kicking hard. I swim and swim, looking down as I go to him, admiring the forest of coral and species of fish going about their business underneath me.

Now I'm pretty tired, but I can see that the Doctor is just a few feet away from me.

Panting, I come up, and high five his hand.

"Whoo!" he crows and wraps his arms around me

"Rose!" he yells and she looks over at us, just a small figure on the beach "Look how far Wolfe swam!" he boasts

"Great Job!" her distant voice yells back to us, accompanied by a thumbs up.

"Alright, we're going to swim back together, and then get out before Rose gets mad, yeah?" he grins at me and I nod.

"How about I take you on a special swim?" he offers

"What do you mean?" I ask

"Okay, get on my back." I follow his directions "Now hold on tightly to my shoulders and let your legs hang back with mine."

I do as he says.

"Now hold your breath!" he orders "One, two, three!"

He dives under the water and towards the coral. We race amongst the fish and coral, colors flashing by in a beautiful Jackson Pollack of life. The Doctor chases a few fish and picks up a sea flower as well.

As we reach the drop off, he swims up and out of the water, panting slightly, but grinning.

"That was so pretty!" I grin "Thank you."

"No problem, Wolfe." He takes my hand and we walk through the last of the waves towards the beach.

When we get to the shore, Rose is waiting, holding a towel open for me.

I walk over and she wraps it around me, tightly.

"Did you have fun?" she smiles as the Doctor takes another towel and ruffles it through my hair, trying to help dry it.

"Doctor!" I snort as Rose chuckles, brushing my hair out of my face as my arms are pinned beneath the towel.

"Oh, here Rose." The Doctor offers her the sea flower he picked earlier. It looks like a sunflower, but it has pink streaks on its petals.

"A pink and yellow flower for my pink and yellow human."

She giggles and takes the flower from him. "Thank you." She tries to tuck it behind her ear, but it continues to fall out.

"Here, let me try." The Doctor offers. He takes the flower from her grasp, gently tucks her hair behind her ear and cups her cheek in his other hand and slides the slender stalk behind her ear. "There you go." He steps back, grinning.

Their eyes meet, his goofy smile matches her slightly flushed beam.

The intimacy of the six-second moment is over.

"Come on let's go inside. Rose and Wolfe you can shower first. I'll see about good places to eat." The Doctor says as we start our walk back up through the sand towards the hotel.

We arrive back at our room a few minutes later and I immediately get in the shower. The water is warm and soon steam fills the bathroom. After thoroughly washing my hair, I step out of the shower, and start to get dressed.

"Oi!" The Doctor's voice echoes in the hotel room "Don't forget it gets cold here at night!"

"Thank you Doctor!" I yell to him and I hear Rose's faint "Alright stop yelling!"

I change into light blue jeans and a very warm cashmere purple sweater. I tie my hair up in a damp ponytail.

"Doctor, your turn!" I call when I leave the bathroom.

"Thank you!" he says, hurrying over. "Rose always takes forever!"

He enters the bathroom and shuts the door.

"I heard that Doctor!" Rose says as she leaves her bathroom, her hair still wet. She is wearing Jeans and a blue sweatshirt with a fluffy white inside.

"What do you want to do while we wait for The Doctor?" Rose says as she sits at the dining room table.

"We could play a card game. I brought a deck of cards" I offer "I know how to play Go fish and Gin and a bunch of poker. They ran out of ways to entertain me at…" I trail off, uncomfortably.

"Well the only one I can actually play is Go Fish so how about that?" Rose quickly answers,

"I'll go get the cards." I hop up and hurry to where I left my suitcase. I dig through it until I find the small blue deck.

I hurry back to Rose and sit across from her. I start shuffling the deck and then I deal us each seven cards.

"7 of hearts." Rose says

"Go fish."

"Ready to go?' the Doctor asks as he leaves his room, dressed again in his classic brown pinstripe suit.

"Yep." I grin, collecting the cards

"What were you playing?"

"Go Fish." Rose answers, "Wolfe is really good. She beat me four to one."

"When you're kept in the same room with a computer as a playmate for your whole life you develop a lot of skills. Go Fish, Poker, Gin, Checkers, Chess and Trivia are some of them." I shrug and hop up from the table.

"Where are we going?" Rose asks as we follow the Doctor to the door.

He turns around, his back to the door, a smirk on his face. Rose is inches from him, grinning back.

"A surprise." He wiggles his eyebrows, opens the door and we take off down the hall


	52. Chapter 52

_"_ _A surprise." He wiggles his eyebrows, opens the door and we take off down the hall_

We arrive in a bustling little town after a short bus ride. The first sun is just starting to touch the horizon as we follow the Doctor to the smallest little restaurant I've ever seen. Its tucked up three alleys, behind every other big and colorful restaurant and hidden behind a bunch of bushes.

"We're here." Grins the Doctor

"Its very…quaint." Rose says, and she nudges the Doctor with her shoulder, smiling up at him "Didn't peg you for the type."

"Well, that's just because _you_ haven't eaten here before!" he nudges her back, and then we proceed into the restaurant.

"Hello! Reservations for Tyler?" The Doctor says to the green slender alien with an almost bug-like physique, three big blue eyes and a pair of antlers. She also has a collar around her neck.

"Welcome this way." She speaks, through her collar.

"New technology. Recognizes almost every language. Barcelona is such a touristy spot that it is necessary for business that everyone be able to match the new language." The Doctor quietly explains to us.

We are led into a larger room and it is alight with golds and pinks and oranges. I realize quickly that all the walking uphill gave us the most beautiful view of the sunset and the beach. We are seated in a booth right next to the window, Rose and the Doctor on one side, and I am on the other.

"This is gorgeous Doctor." Rose sighs, leaning towards him slightly, her body turned to look out the window.

"Yeah?" he looks down at her.

"Yeah." She murmurs.

He smiles satisfied as another alien comes over, wearing the same collar. She is blue and green, with purples here and there. She is small but very muscular. She looks like a human, except she has four arms, and filed down fangs.

"Hello. My name is Vertonikie. How may I serve you today?" she smiles, somewhat shyly. Her eyes flash to Rose, then the Doctor, then back to Rose.

She hands Rose her menu, before leaving the Doctor's and mine on the table. I grab the menu, and the Doctor does the same while saying

"Hello. Could we get two waters and…" he trails off looking at me

"A lemonade." I smile at him

"A lemonade." He echoes, looking back up at her.

"Of course." Her eyes linger on us for a moment longer before she leaves.

We all burrow our heads in our menus, looking for something good to eat.

"What is that Doctor?" Rose asks, pointing to something in her menu.

"Local fish. I wouldn't recommend it." He winces "Doesn't sit well."

Rose and I giggle.

"Look! The second sun is almost gone!" Rose urges us and we all turn our attention to the window, in silence and we watch the sun set.

"You know I think that the most beautiful part is after the sun sets when everything changes colors." Rose murmurs to us.

"Mmmhmm." The Doctor nods, looking affectionately down at Rose, who is leaning on his shoulder.

We watch the sky grow more pink and orange and gold, and just as it starts to fade Vertoniki returns.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yes." Rose says and Vertoniki smiles, before hastily looking down at her notebook again.

"What would you like?"

"I'll have your Earth Burger with a side of chips please."

"Alright."

"I'll have the local fish taco, with a side of chips." The Doctor hands her his menu

"I'll have the same thing as Rose." I grin

"Rose." Vertoniki looks up at Rose "That is your name?"

"Yes." Smiles Rose.

Vertoniki's color has slowly become very pink around her face and I quickly realize that she is blushing.

"Very beautiful." She murmurs, before hurrying away.

I chuckle slightly, before looking at the Doctor.

He looks murderous.

My eyes widen as I realize he is jealous of Vertoniki's crush on Rose.

He is glaring at Vertoniki across the room and protectively shifts closer to Rose.

I pretend to cough to cover my giggle.

"So what are we going to do tomorrow?" Rose asks, oblivious to what's happening.

"Well, I figured after dinner we could go shopping a bit. I know how you like that."

"Quite right." Grins Rose

"Then tomorrow I was going to book us for a boat ride and a snorkeling trip. How does that sound?" The Doctor offers to us, looking very excited

"Brilliant!" I grin and Rose laughs

"You know Doctor, I can't believe how well you're doing this domestic thing." Rose comments "I figured you'd make it an hour of pretending we're a happy family on vacation before ducking out."

"Oh, come on." The Doctor drawls, comically, "You had to have a bit more faith in me than that!"

"Seriously. You have impressed me." Rose informs him and he laughs

"Such expectations! Rassilion help me should I ever let _you_ down Rose Tyler!" He teases her

"Oi!" she pokes him in the ribs

"Don't 'Oi' me, you know I'm right!" he responds, poking her back.

"Do you need anything?" Out of seemingly nowhere, Vertoniki returned

The Doctor's laughter fades quickly.

He frowns and slides his arm around Rose's shoulder "Nope. I am good." He says, kissing the side of her head.

"And you, Rose?" Vertoniki asks, sweetly

"I-um I'm good." Rose stutters, far more distracted by the Doctor's sudden affection.

"Me too." I agree quickly

Looking almost disappointed, Vertoniki walks away.

There is an awkward pause at the table.

"Doctor…are you jealous?" Rose asks, amusement in her voice.

"No." The Doctor answers, looking falsely shocked at the proposition.

"Really? Because you were glaring at Vertoniki for a while and now you decide to do this" she nods her head at the arm around her shoulders "Right when she comes over…"

"I am not jealous." Pouts the Doctor. "Maybe a bit overprotective…" he mutters

"Doctor, you can't get all protective every time someone's interested in me. Do you remember Adam? You practically bit his head off-"  
"and let's remember how _that_ ended up!" argues the Doctor

"But still, you didn't have to be so rude." Chastises Rose "and its not like I'm interested in Vertoniki, I just don't want _you_ to be unnecessarily rude!"

"Fine." The Doctor pouts

"Fine." Agrees Rose.

Another moment of silence. Both of them are clearly trying not to laugh, and the Doctor still hasn't moved his arm.

"Well...I am not going to be the first one to apologize." The Doctor says, firmly

"Neither am I." Rose agrees.

I look between the two of them in amusement for another few seconds.

Rose coughs, and then the two of them burst out laughing.

Not long after, our food arrives. Luckily, another alien brings our food to us. We finish eating, pay and leave. By now its pretty dark, but the street lights are bright and the town has far from slowed down. Aliens of all shapes and sizes are marching around and shopping and laughing.

"Everything here are open 24 hours a day to accommodate the nocturnal tourists." The Doctor explains to us. "Quite nice really. I like shops. Not big ones. Just little ones. Where you can, you know, shop." He babbles.

I laugh.

"Come on then Doctor, let's look in here!"

Rose drags us into a small shop selling mostly clothing.  
We wander through the small aisles, pulling at and running our hands along the exotic fabrics.

"Look at _this_ Doctor!"

The Doctor follows her, amusement written all over his face.

"Rose you do know there's other stores too right?" He calls in the direction she left, already hidden amongst the aisles of clothing.

"I know but- Wolfe! I found the loveliest dress for you!" Rose calls back, her voice slightly muffled.

She arrives out of the sea of colors, and holds up her prize.

I reach out and brush my hand along it.

The dress is long, and would probably brush the floor if I wore it. It is almost the exact shade of the Tardis, and a ball gown. The fabric is like nothing I've ever felt. It's softer than silk, and yet is stiff enough to hold a firm shape to the dress, like taffeta. The outermost layer of the skirt is hiked up to reveal the many, many layers under it. A matching sash wraps around it, with a sparkling multiple stone brooch on it. Rhinestones cover the upper bodice, which ends at the waist.

"Its lovely." I breathe, before looking up at Rose and the Doctor.

"When would I ever wear it?" I chuckle, somewhat sadly, because the dress is truly the loveliest dress I've ever seen.

"Well…" The Doctor says, giving a sideways glance at Rose, and rubbing the back of his head with one hand "I wasn't going to tell you until later but I saw that an event for tomorrow night was this exclusive ball hosted by the president of Barcelona and her husband. They're old…acquaintances…of mine and owed me a favor so I got us tickets-"

He's cut off by a squeal from Rose, who throws herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. He responds by hugging her back, around the waist.

"Doctor that sounds amazing!" She giggles, before leaning back to look at him, balancing with her arms clasped around his neck and on her tippy toes. He steadies her by keeping his arms around her waist. "I've always wanted to wear a posh dress and go to a posh dinner and talk and dance all night." She giggles again "Pretend I'm one of them."

"You are one of them. Or we will be tomorrow night." the Doctor smiles down at her "We're the guests of honor. I may have helped them escape during riots a while back. I figured since we're here, why not?"

"I think its brilliant." Rose grins, tightening her grip on him and pulling him back into a proper hug, which he returns.

Suddenly she gasps.

"Doctor! I have nothing to wear! I am not even close to prepared!" she yanks away from him, eyes bright with excitement. "We have a lot of shopping to do!"

"Rose-" The Doctor starts, his eyes widening with dismay

"Don't worry Doctor we wont take too long!" Rose promises "Plus." She pouts, "You want me to look pretty for the dance right?"

He smiles at her "Yes."

"Then let's get started. Wolfe, you try on the dress, let us know when you're ready. The Doctor and I are going to look for something for us to wear." Rose orders me, handing me the lovely dress.

I walk over to the dressing rooms and slip out of my clothes and into the dress. Despite all of its fabric, the dress is light and airy and simply stunning.

I twirl in front of the mirror, feeling like a princess.

Walking out of the dressing room, Rose and the Doctor are no where to be found, but I can hear their friendly bickering

"Rose I hate tuxes."

"You are going to wear one."

"But I hate them."

"I don't care!"

"Rose?" I call, stepping into the aisle.

They both turn and look at me, eyes widening.

"Oh Wolfe you look beautiful. It fits perfectly. How does it feel?" Rose comes over, twisting me around and inspecting the dress in a very motherly way.

"It is really soft and light. Its amazing." I sigh, looking down at myself.

"You do look lovely." The Doctor compliments softly.

"Thank you. This is the nicest thing I have ever worn." I explain, looking back down at the dress.

"Come on. I don't think there's anything else here for us. We'll buy your dress and then we'll look for another clothing shop." Rose tells us as she ushers me back to the dressing rooms.

Once I change, I walk back to Rose and the Doctor.

"We need shoes, dresses, a curling iron, make up, a tux for the Doctor, shoes for the Doctor, and hairspray." Rose lists  
"Rose I don't want to wear-" The Doctor starts again, when Rose interrupts

"Then I won't dance with you."

The Doctor opens his mouth with outrage, before closing it.

"That's what I thought." Giggle Rose, before turning to the cashier "We're ready to check out."

"Lovely." The short, brown dog-like alien says, taking the dress from Rose.

We finish paying and I offer to hold the bag. Rose grabs the Doctor's hand and we hurry down the street looking for the next store to buy our list of items from.

Somewhere around the sixth store, I've gotten sleepy. Rose has bought a dress. She wouldn't let the Doctor or me see it though. She wanted to surprise us. We have at least 10 bags, and the Doctor and I are laden with them. I yawn as we leave the make up store.  
"Doctor." I murmur, stumbling slightly.

He looks down at me, and his eyes soften.

"Rose." He calls, "I think Wolfe is tired. We haven't slept in a while, hazard of time travelling, and its getting late. Are you ready to head back?"

"Yeah I think we have everything we need." Rose nods, taking the bags from me, and some of the Doctor's. The Doctor scoops me up with one arm as we get on the bus.

I drift in and out of sleep in his grasp on the way back to the hotel.

The Doctor and Rose drop the bags all over our room, change me into my pajamas and tuck me into bed.  
They crawl in on either side of me, and I hear their soft whispers to each other before I fall asleep.

"Goodnight Rose."

"Goodnight Doctor."


	53. Chapter 53

_They crawl in on either side of me, and I hear their soft whispers to each other before I fall asleep. "Goodnight Rose." "Goodnight Doctor."_

"Wolfe? Time to wake up! Breakfast is here!" I hear the Doctor's gentle voice, and a warm hand rubbing my back. "Come on, sleepy girl."

I open my eyes, and roll onto my back.

"Hey." I murmur as I stretch slightly "What's for breakfast? What time is it?"

"Nearly 8. Breakfast is waffles." The Doctor helps me up and out of bed.

I yawn before smiling "Waffles sound good."

"Come along, then!" He starts out of the room and I follow him.

"Morning Wolfe! These waffles are amazing. You have to try them!" Rose calls me from where she's seated at the table.

I hurry over and she pulls out the chair next to her so I can sit down. I clamor into the chair, and she fills my plate with a large, fluffy waffle and hands me the syrup container.

"Enjoy!" She laughs as the Doctor takes his seat across from her, and piles his plate with waffles.

I take a bite of the syrup-covered waffle, and it's heavenly.

"This is amazing." I try to say around my mouthful

"I agree." The Doctor says, at the same time as Rose says "Wolfe don't talk with your mouth full."

I chew and swallow before repeating myself. "This is amazing."

"Good! I heard that the room service was amazing and I couldn't resist!" Rose smiles, before looking at the Doctor "What is the plan for today?"

"Well in about an hour we have a boat ride booked to an island, about and hour away. When we get there, we have a picnic and snorkeling planned. Then we'll ride home, and get ready for our dinner tonight." The Doctor explains.

"I need at least 3 hours to get ready." Rose warns

"What is it with earth girls and needing a lifetime to get ready for an event." Groans the Doctor

"Oh, you mean this is a common problem for you Doctor?" Rose asks, innocently.

The Doctor's eyes widen as he realizes the mistake he made "Er, no I meant, you…you took a while last time we dressed up, when we met Charles Dickens?" He offers

"You met Charles Dickens?" I gasp "That's brilliant! He's one of my favorite authors, my others being Agatha Christie and Issac Asimov!"

"Maybe I'll take you to meet one of them one day!" The Doctor promises. "Anyway, we ought to get ready soon so hurry up finishing breakfast!"

After breakfast, I go to my room and put on a dark blue bathing suit, and I pull on jean shorts and a purple top over it. I brush through my sleep-tousled hair and put it up in a ponytail.

"Doctor?" I call as I walk into the main room again "What time do we have to leave?"

"About ten minutes!" He calls back

I go to the porch door and heave it open, walking out onto the balcony, closing the door behind me. The wind is sweet and soft and smells like the sea. The turquoise waves lap lazily and the crowds of tourists buzz and hum with excitement and babble. The suns are hot already, but there isn't a cloud in the sky. It's a perfectly lovely day out.

I turn around to go and show Rose, when I see through the glass door, Rose and the Doctor talking together, quietly, as if they don't want me to see or hear them.

The Doctor has a folder of some type in his hand and they seem to be debating something quietly.

He keeps looking over his shoulder as if he is keeping an eye out for me.

I cock my head to the side in confusion, but I don't interrupt.

After a few moments, the Doctor takes the folder and returns to his room.

I see Rose start to look up so I quickly turn around, and pretend I've only been looking at the view.

A couple minutes later, the door behind me opens

"Wolfe! Ready to go?" Rose says, poking her head out.

"Yep!" I follow her back through the door, trying to ignore whatever it was they were talking about.

"Hello, my name is Captain Leo Gibbs! Welcome to the Mysterious Island Tour!" Cries a very happy human-looking man, with a headful of grey hair, and bright blue eyes. "What are your names?"

"Rose." Rose offers her hand and he shakes

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor offers his hand, too. Instead of making a fuss about the Doctor's name, the Captain takes it in stride before looking down at me

"And is this your beautiful little girl?" he says, and I giggle

"Yes." Rose and the Doctor chorus, smiling at me affectionately

"I'm Wolfe." I offer him my hand, and he gives it a kiss. I laugh and so does he

"Welcome! Follow me on board! Be careful, she's a bit wobbly." He warns us as he steps off the dock and onto his boat, named _The Silver Lining_.

The Doctor follows, stepping onto theboat with ease. The Captain offers me his hand and helps me aboard.

The Doctor offers his hand to Rose who steps on.

Rose skids just slightly, and the Doctor's other hand flies to her waist to steady her

"Thank you." She smiles gratefully at him.

"No problem." He says, helping her from the side of the boat into the lower part, where the seats are.

I scramble down beside her, and the captain starts talking again.

"Alright ladies and gentleman, its nearly nine now, we're going to set sail now, head west for about an hour, and we'll come upon this littlest island of mine. I made you all a picnic basket, so you can go and hike around, and find yourself a nice spot to eat. Then, three to four hours after we land I'll call you all back, we'll set sail again and get you home by three, yeah?"

"Brilliant!" crows the Doctor, and the engine starts

"We'll use the engine until we get far enough out that the wind'll take us." The captain explains to us

"By the way, the nets are a favorite place to sit. There are two on the front of the boat as well as one on each side. Watch yourself on the boom." The Captain gestures to the main horizontal pole, supporting the biggest sail. "It's called that because of the sound it makes when it hits peoples heads!"

We laugh, and I go to clamor to the front of the boat when the Doctor stops me.

"Wolfe, you've only just learned to swim, put a life vest on." He says, handing me a very small, bright orange life vest.

"Doctor." I whine.

"Nope. You're not having a near drowning experience today!" He tugs me towards him and straps me into the life vest.

"Now you can go." He says, ruffling my hair.

"Oi!" I shuffle away from him, and hurry to the front of the boat, much less gracefully with the life vest on.

I sit on the net, and the wind blows my hair. It's cool and crispy and lovely to experience. I take a deep breath and lie on my back, watching the blue sky race above us.

Rolling onto my stomach, I watch the water stream underneath the netting, the only thing between me and the waves.

I sit back up when I hear Rose's giggle. Turning, I see that she is walking on the larger net on the right side of the boat. The Doctor is already lying down on it, arms behind his head and sunglasses on, his legs crossed.

"Come here!" he says, and she flops down next to him, knees curled into his legs, laying her head on his shoulder. He shifts, and wraps his arm around her shoulders.

"This is beautiful." She grins at him

"It is." He grins back.

"I should've dressed warmer though." She shivers slightly.

"Here." He sits up, takes off his jacket and lays it overtop her.

"Thank you. Why are you wearing a suit anyway? We're going snorkeling!" Rose says as she and the Doctor settle back down again.

"Well, I knew it wasn't going to be warm on the boat so I figured I'd wear my suit and pack my bathing suit."

"Where? Its not in my bag!" worries Rose

"Pockets. I have really big pockets." Explains the Doctor

"Of course you do." Rose sighs, chuckling.

"Alright everyone! I am going to put the sail up, and then I'll hand out some refreshments." Announces the captain, hopping about the boat, untying things and moving different things around.

Then he hops back down to where the wheel is, and uses a handle to raise the sails.

The billow up, artificial white clouds, and flap in the wind. The engine dies down, leaving only the sound of the water slashing against the ship and the ripple of the wind in the sails.

"We're almost there!" The Captain yells, and I look up from my apple-tasting pastry. The captain had apple-like pastries and lemonade and many other delicious snacks onboard. He says his wife loves to bake so he lets her pack a cooler full for his guests.

I look out at the sea, straining my eyes for the little island we we've been heading towards for the better part of an hour.

Through the haze at the horizon, I see just the faintest outline of a bulge.

"Is that the island?" I ask, scrambling up for a better look, pointing out at the shadow.

"Yep! There she is! Now did I ever tell you the myth about the island? Or how she got her name?" The captain says and I shake my head.

Rose and the Doctor look over, interested as I hop over and sit down nearby the captain, waiting for his story.

"Once a long time ago, when this island called Paradise was formed, there were many native people living on her. She was indeed, a paradise. Perfect in every way. She provided well for her people, and kept them safe and warm and dry. But only when she was alone with her people would she be perfect. When visitors first discovered her, they took too much, and her perfect world started falling apart. One man tried to help her, and tried to warn everyone to protect her, but no one listened to the mad man. She fell in love with him, but he left, unable to help, though promising to return. Years passed, and her mad man never returned, and she kept getting sicker and weaker. She grew very angry and finally, exploded with rage, sending burning lava and scorching ash all over until everything on her island was dead."

"That's so sad." I whisper, as he continues

"But all wasn't lost. Her mad man came back, decades after she had exploded, and her beautiful paradise lost. He cared for her and planted new seeds and brought back her animals. Soon, little saplings began to grow out of the harsh soil, the waves broke down the dried lava into silky black sand and the animals ran free and happy all over her, paradise restored. Then, it came time for her mad man to leave, and she made storms for three days, because she was afraid she'd never see him again. But he promised one day to return, and that he would always protect her. He left and went to the mainland, where we came from, and told one fisherman of the islands' location. He instructed him to never tell, but to take people there to visit her so she wouldn't get lonely. The fisherman did what he asked, and made a lot of money, got married and had a son. When he lay dying, the fisherman told his son of the island and the mad man, and instructed him to do as he did. Generations passed, the location of Paradise passed from father to son again, until me. Now, my son, Charles, will one day take people to Paradise the way I have since I was a young man."

"Wow." I gasp, wide eyed "That's amazing." I crane over my shoulder to look at the steadily growing outline of Paradise. "That's her?"

"Yep." Chuckles the Captain.

I climb back to the front of the ship, and watch as Paradise grows bigger and bigger. Now I can see all of her palm trees, and a pod of dolphins swimming near her shoreline. I see a small, very modest dock and we pull alongside it as we land.

I hurry onto the dock, awed to finally set foot on Paradise. I walk into the sand, which is hot and silky between my toes.

The island is bursting with life and beauty and I find it hard to believe that it could have been barren and lifeless.

Rose comes to stand beside me, gazing up at the mountain which makes up the majority of the island.

"It's lovely." She murmurs "Paradise."

The Doctor walks on the dock. I turn to say something to him, when I catch sight of his goofy smile, the same one when he saw Sarah Jane again. He steps off the side of the dock, into the sand, and I could have sworn the whole island shuddered, birds flew up in the sky singing joyously, and a warm, sweet breeze whipped through the air, the sun shone brighter than ever and the whole island seemed to smile.

Realisation hits me in the gut.

I walk over to him.

"You're her mad man. The story is true! You're her mad man." I say to him, and he looks up at me, eyes twinkling. "It's been over a century since I saw her last."

He walks forward, grinning.

Rose has made the same connection I did, and she walks over, nudging the Doctor with her shoulder "Of course you saved the island. I should have known the moment I heard of the mad man saving an island it was you."

He grins down at her, "Come on then! I didn't return just for old time's sake! Let's have some fun!"


	54. Chapter 54

_He grins down at her, "Come on then! I didn't return just for old time's sake! Let's have some fun!"_

"Come on Doctor, we're almost there!" Pants Rose from ahead

"I'd be faster if I hadn't been carrying Wolfe for half the trip!" The Doctor calls back, winded slightly "Not that I mind." He adds over his shoulder at me

"Thank you." I smile at him

"Oh look!" Rose gasps as she comes to a halt up ahead.

The Doctor and I follow, stopping next to her in awe.

We hiked up most of the mountain to look for this waterfall the Doctor mentioned making the last time he was here. Buried under acres of forest, and cascading down from the top of the mountain into the canyon below was a huge, thick waterfall.

"Oh wow." I gasp

The sun glints off the spray of the waterfall becoming rainbow colors. The small lake below changes into a stream a little further away from the fall, and I can guess empties into the sea later.

"We can either hike down and have a picnic down by the bottom, or we could hike to the top and eat at the pond up there." The Doctor informs us

"Let's eat down at the bottom of the falls. We can swim in the lake when we're done." Rose offers

"That sounds Fantastic." I nod, grinning

We start down the steep incline carefully, and finally reach the small, green grass meadow at the bottom of the granite cliff face.

The Doctor lets me slide off his back, and I take his hand as we walk to the edge of the lake, where it looks like a steep drop off into the water, as if a huge hole had been gauged out, and the thunder of the falls echoes around us.

"Let's eat here." Rose says, standing about ten feet behind us, in the middle of the small meadow.

She places the picnic basket, which the captain gave us on the ground, and opens it, laying the blue and white blanket on the grass.

The Doctor and I walk over to her and I sit next to Rose, and the Doctor sits on her other side.

Rose hands us our sandwiches and bottles of water.

After a few moments of silence, Rose says, "Why don't we play a game?"

"Like what?" I ask, after swallowing my bite of sandwich

"I don't know. We could do never have I ever, but you'd win…" She looks at me

I laugh "Probably."

"Or we could play Truth or Dare. That's a common human game right?" The Doctor suggests

"That's easier to play with more people." Rose says, shaking her head.  
"How about charades?" I suggest.

Rose and the Doctor look at each other "Brilliant!"

"Okay, so why don't we do two people act out an animal or story and the third person guess." I suggest

"Great! I have some paper and pens in here somewhere." The Doctor digs into his pocket "How about we each write two themes, two books and two animals, put it in the picnic basket, and each pair picks one."

He finally tugs a small pad of paper and three pens from his pocket. He tears off a sheet for Rose and another for me, hands both of us a pen.

I rip the paper into six pieces and write Titanic, Owl, English Colonies, Australia, Mouse, and Pride and Prejudice.

"Ready?" asks Rose as she pours her six sheets into the basket.

"Yep." I get up and dump mine into the basket too.

The Doctor follows.

"Who should go first?" I ask

"Why don't you and the Doctor go first?" Rose smiles

"Okay." I swirl my hand around the papers before pulling out one.

The Doctor and I walk a little ways away from the picnic blanket.

I open it as he bends over to get a good view.

 _Old West_

I laugh and the Doctor groans, "I have no idea!"

"I do. Get on your hands and knees." I order

"What?"

"I'm gonna be a cow girl and you're gonna be my horse."

"Come on! I'm in my suit."

"You know as well as I you have at least three pairs of the same suit back in the hotel. Giddy Up!"

He gets on his hands and knees and I clamber on, my legs straddling his back, and I grip his collar like reins.

"Ready?" he asks

"Yep!"

He starts moving at a surprisingly fast pace over to Rose, who is laughing already. The Doctor "rears" back and I tug on his collar with one hand, waving my other hand around my head in the air, to mimic a lasso.

"Horse! Cowboy! West! The Old West!" Rose guesses

"Yes!" I laugh, and the Doctor starts to get up, and I slide off his back.

"Good job. Alright. Wolfe, you and me." Rose grabs a paper from the basket and walks over to where the Doctor and I were earlier to look at it.

The Doctor sits down on the picnic blanket, resuming eating his sandwich.

Rose opens the paper and it reads _Dog_

"Oh my god!" laughs Rose

"Come on!"

I walk over to the Doctor, before getting on my hands and knees. I roll about in the grass, and chase after Rose, who's also on her hands and knees as the Doctor yells  
"Horse? Pig? Cat?"

I let my tongue hang out of my mouth as I pant

"Dog!" He guesses

"Good job!"

"That took you forever Doctor!" laughs Rose

"Oi! You guessed horse when Wolfe was on my back! What was it, a horse riding a horse?"

"Come on Doctor, our turn!" Rose grabs a piece of paper from the basket and drags the Doctor away from the picnic blanket

They walk back and The Doctor takes Rose's left hand and they mime helping her step up onto something.

He steps behind her, his hands tightly gripping her waist, hers arms going out, perpendicular from her body.

I know what it is. It's the iconic scene from Titanic, but they look so sweet doing it I stay silent. They're too wrapped up in each other to wonder why I'm not saying anything.

He presses his cheek into her hair and she turns her head slightly to lean into him.

"Titanic." I giggle after I have watched it long enough.

They step apart, somewhat awkwardly "Well, did we do a good job?" Rose asks

"You did a fantastic job." I respond, finishing the last of my sandwich. "Can we go swimming now?"

"Sure. I'm going to go change. I'll be right back." The Doctor informs us, marching off into the forest.

I glance at Rose who looks slightly bashful, and is still staring after the Doctor.

I let he continue to do so for a minute.

"Rose?"

"Yes?" She answers, looking back at me.

I just look at her, and her face turns pink.

"What?"

"Nothing." I say as I tug off my shorts and top.

"What?"

"I said, nothing!" I giggle

Rose opens her mouth to respond when suddenly we hear aloud whoop and charging out of the forest comes the Doctor, dressed in a Tardis blue bathing suit, carrying his suit in a ball in his arms.

He dumps his clothes on the picnic blanket, stops only long enough to scoop me up, and takes a flying leap into the lake as I shriek.

We plunge under the clear, cool water, and seconds later pop out of the surface, soaking wet, shrieking, laughing, and very cold.

"Rose! Come in!" Calls the Doctor, swimming towards the shore.

He bobs right at the shoreline, where the pool is deep enough that he can be right on the side of the grass and still be in deep enough to have to tread.

"Hold on a minute." She tugs off her clothes and walks over to the shore.

She dips her foot in

"It's cold!" She gasps "That's too cold."

"Come on!" He calls her again, swimming until he's right in front of her.

"No." whines Rose

Suddenly the Doctor leaps out of the water, grabs her around the waist, and falls back towards the water. She comes up spluttering and splashing and absolutely furious.

She scrambles out of the water, before turning and glaring at the Doctor.

I paddle over as she cannonballs back in, practically on his head.

He splashes the back of her head when she comes up, and then Rose whirls around and splashes him back.

They continue to splash each other until they're both coughing between their laughter.

"Truce?" pants Rose

"Truce." Nods the Doctor, grinning

I start to swim near the waterfall, and it becomes very loud.

"Be careful Wolfe!" the Doctor calls as I take a deep breath and swim under the waterfall.

I come up in an almost cavernous crevice in the rock, where painting which look old and almost tribal line the walls. The filtered sunlight trickles in through the water, sending ripples across every surface. It's a very beautiful sight. Behind me, Rose pops out of the water and proceeds to gasp at our surroundings.

"This was a holy place for the indigenous people back before the volcano erupted" Explains the Doctor when he enters.

"Its beautiful." I whisper

"I think so too." He smiles down at me

We swim for only a couple minutes more, because the water is freezing and our limbs are getting numb. Rose's lips are blue.

"C-come on Doctor lets hike b-back and go snorkeling!" Chatters Rose

"Good Idea."

The Doctor climbs out of the water and turns around to help Rose and I out of the water.

Rose is shivering pretty badly. I feel mostly fine.

"Here." The Doctor says, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his chest. "Timelords are able to regulate their body temperatures better. That's why Wolfe and I are warmer. Let me use my body heat to warm you."

Rose nods, hugging him back tightly, and pressing her head into his shoulder.

After a few minutes, he pulls away, rubbing her shoulders.

"Better?"

The color had returned to her cheeks, whether that was from heat or closeness to the Doctor's shirtless body I don't know.

"Yeah. Thank you." She whispers, breathlessly

More likely the latter.

"Why don't we clean up and hike back to the shore. Then we can go snorkeling." Suggests the Doctor walking back to the picnic blanket.

"Oh! It looks like the captain's wife made us cupcakes." Rose says as she pulls three cupcakes in a little tin from the picnic basket.

"I want the one with the blue frosting!" I call, hurrying over to her.

She opens the container and hands me the vanilla cupcake with blue frosting.

"Doctor! Do you want a cupcake?" Rose asks him as he comes over, ruffling his hair with a towel.

"Of course!" He tugs the towel away and his hair, which was usually stickity- uppity, now was standing up in all directions.

Rose hands him the green frosted vanilla cupcake and takes the purple one for herself.

I start to lick the frosting off the way I usually do, blue frosting getting all over my face, dying my lips, teeth and tongue.

"Wolfe!" laughs the Doctor, a mouthful of cupcake.

"Come here." Chuckles Rose, who puts the end of a napkin in her mouth and uses it to wipe some of the blue off my face.

I tug away, pouting "I'm saving that for later!"

Rose and the Doctor laugh as I start eating the bread part of the cupcake.

"Come on. Hurry up you two. I want to have enough time to snorkel before we leave." The Doctor gets up, wiping his hands of any crumbs and putting the cupcake wrapper in the basket.

"I'm done!" I swallow my last bite, and toss the wrapper in the basket.

"Me too!" Rose puts her wrapper in the basket and stands up.

We clean up our food and pack the basket up again. The Doctor pulls on his shirt and puts the rest of his suit in Rose's bag.

I tug on my shorts and climb onto the Doctor's back. We start back up the ravine and then back down the mountainside.

When we arrive at the beach again, the captain is sunning on the shores.

"Hey Captain!" Rose greets him, kindly

"Hello! You ready for your snorkeling gear?" He hops up and leads us back to the boat where he pulls out three different colored sets.

Mine is small and purple, Rose's is large and pink, and the Doctor's is large and blue.

"So, you put the goggles on, and attach the breathing tube to the goggles. Then, put the mouth piece of the tube in your mouth and make sure you don't swim deeper than the top of the tube! And here are the flippers." Explains the captain, handing us matching flippers. "and have fun!"

"Thank you!" we chorus, before walking to the shore of the water. I fix my goggles and the breathing pipe on my head.

"Does it look okay, Doctor?" I ask, and he comes over, adjusting it a little bit.

"There you go." He smiles at me. "Do you want help with your flippers?"

I nod.

He kneels down and splashes some water on my feet before wriggling my feet into the flippers.

I stand, and waddle around with my new feet.

"I feel like a duck!" I laugh, before making duck noises "Quack! Quack!"

"Quack! Quack!" Mimics the Doctor, waddling after me, having pulled on his flippers.

"Come on my ducklings! Let's go!" Rose calls us to her as she wades into the water.

I waddle to the water and start to wade into the sea, the Doctor following close behind.

Once I get in deep enough, I start to swim on my stomach, cautiously submerging my mouth in the water, breathing through the tube. I kick strongly, and suddenly the sand drops off into a beautiful coral reef.

I look over at Rose and the Doctor, who are a couple feet behind me, and wave my arms to get their attention. They swim up next to me and the Doctor gives me a thumbs up as they catch sight of the coral.

We swim over it, as hundreds of colorful fish chase each other in schools. I see a yellow eel-looking creature and small creatures, which look like dinosaur fish. The coral are all different shapes and sizes, some stretch all the way up to us. I reach my hand out to touch one, when the Doctor slaps it away.

I look at him, in surprise. He shakes his head and mimes hurting his hand on the coral. I nod, and continue swimming.

Time passes and soon I am bursting with things I need to tell the Doctor and Rose.

I tread water, getting my head above the surface and take my breathing tube out of my mouth.

They follow moments later

"Its so pretty!" I gasp "The coral is so cool! What does it do to you when you touch it? Did you see the pink fish? What are those dinosaur looking fish? Are there any sharks or the equivalent of them in the water? Are you having fun? Did you see the-"

"Slow down!" Laughs Rose

"Yes it is. It stings you badly, like a jelly fish, yes I did, they're called Veterins, and they are a type of boned fish, Yes there are but they don't live around here, and yes I am." The Doctor responds to all of my questions at once

"This is so cool." I pant, now getting tired from treading water

"Do you want to see a cool trick?" offers the Doctor

"Yes!"

We put our breathing tubes back in our mouths and go underwater again to watch him swim far below the surface, his tube filling with water, and chase some of the fish around. He catches a small one and gives it a kiss, or the best he can manage with his breathing tube in, and sets it free, before coming back up and blowing all the water out of his tube like a whale.

I laugh, bubbles rising around me from where my laughter has jostled the breathing tube allowing my air into the water.

Popping back out of the water again, still giggling I say to the Doctor "That poor fish! You probably scared it half to death!"

"Probably!" He chuckles. "Let's stay out a couple more minutes, and then we'll head back to shore and dry off before we ride back."

"Okay." I put my breathing tube in and duck underwater again.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, did you have a fun time today?" asks the captain as he starts the engine.

"Yes!" we chorus

"Thank you!" Rose smiles at him

"No problem!"

As we start away, the waves grow taller, and the water darker and choppy. I frown as I realize that the island doesn't want us to go.

Water sloshes over the bow of the boat, soaking me in the water, from where I'm sitting on the deck.

The Doctor is on his feet seconds later walking to the back of the ship, looking out at the island we're pulling away from.

I see his mouth moving but I can't hear him over the sound of the engine and the waves.

When he turns back around and comes to sit next to Rose again, the waves slow and the water returns to its brighter color.

I smile over at him, and catch his almost wistful gaze back at the island, before he settles down next to Rose, looking at the horizon.


	55. Chapter 55

_I smile over at him, and catch his almost wistful gaze back at the island, before he settles down next to Rose, looking at the horizon._

"Wolfe are you done showering?" Calls Rose through the door.

"Yes." I open the door, standing in an oversized robe, my long, damp hair tangled down my back.

"Come on let's get started!" grins Rose with an excited gleam in her eyes.

She takes my hand and leads me to what is designated 'her' bathroom, or the master bathroom.

"Doctor! Don't forget to get ready!" She calls over her shoulder, where the Doctor is reading on the couch.

"Oi! Just because I'm not starting to get ready two and a half hours early doesn't mean I wont get ready!" He calls back

Rose doesn't respond, but instead shuts the bathroom door, and sits me down on a stool in front of the mirror.

"We're going to do your hair first because it'll take longer." Explains Rose

She takes the hairdryer and turns it on. She tugs and pulls and prods with the hairbrush expertly, applying the air here and there. After what seems like forever, she finally turns it off.

"There we go." She says, brushing through my hair, which is now very soft and straight, hanging lightly down my back.

"It looks pretty." I smile at myself in the mirror

"Do you want me to curl it?" She asks, and I look at her in surprise.

"Would you? I've never had my hair curled before!" I grin and she laughs

"Of course. I already have the curling iron on because I am going to curl mine too."

She takes a can of hairspray and the curling iron and brings them over.

"I need you to stay very still while I do this okay?"

"Yes!"

The carefully pins up chunks of my hair and begins.

She twists and pulls and holds the hair around the iron, and sprays it with hairspray and suddenly my long hair is converted into waves and waves of loose curls, drifting to the middle of my ribcage instead of my waist. She continues for a long time, section by section, having me turn this way and that until she is finally satisfied.

"You're done! What do you think?" She spins me back around to face the mirror and my mouth drops open.

I look like some sort of princess, my hair framing my face and drifting angelically down my back, the soft curls bouncing as I turn my head to admire her work.

"Rose this is amazing!" I gasp.

"You look like a princess. My Little Princess." She says, kissing the top of my head

"Now I'm going to do my hair. Then we'll do our make up."

"What do you think?" Rose turns me back to the mirror and my mouth drops open again. I have pale pink lipstick on, and my very light eye shadow is silver and blue, matching my dress. My eyes seem to pop and my face glows with the make up, framed by my goldilocks -ike curls.

"Rose this is amazing." I whisper

"You look stunning." She smiles at me

"So do you!"

She has curled her hair and done her own make up to perfection. Her eye shadow is silver and purple, which I think is the color of her dress.

"Alright, let's get you in your dress and shoes." She urges me off the stool I've been on for over an hour, and to the closet.

She takes out my dress and unzips it for me.

I take off my robe, and step into the silky soft material.

Rose carefully zips it up, moving my hair to get it out of the way.

Then she kneels down and lets me use her shoulders for balance as she helps me get my tiny, silver heels on. They're only about an inch and a half, but I feel so royal in them.

When I'm dressed, I step away and look in the mirror with a gasp.

I hardly even recognize myself.

"You look beautiful."

"Thanks to you" I answer, laughing as I realize the double meaning.

"You were beautiful before I had anything to do with it!" Rose says "Now why don't you go show the Doctor, and if he's not ready yet I am going to kill him…"

I smile as I walk out of the bedroom. The Doctor is nowhere in sight. I walk over to the other bathroom, where the door is closed.

"Doctor?" I call, knocking on it.

"Be out in a minute. Rose better not be mad- She's lucky I'm wearing this thing at all!" Whines the Doctor from behind the door.  
"Rose isn't ready yet. Its only quarter to seven." I answer back,

I walk back into the main room and sit on the couch, my dress billowing to the sides and front. I smooth the skirt down, still marveling at the material.

"Oh, Wolfe you look lovely. Spectacular, even." The Doctor gasps appears from the bedroom

"Thank you." I smile at him

"You look perfect" he smiles down at me proudly "Simply perfect."

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

His hair is done, still damp from the water he used to comb it down to avoid the way it stands up in all directions. He is in a very crisp tux, with a very well tied bowtie and unmarred jacket and pants. My eyes fall to his shoes. His tattered black converse.

"Doctor. I know for a fact Rose bought you dress shoes."

"But Wolfe-"

"And you don't want her to get mad at you before the night's even began do you?"

He pauses.

"No."

"Go put on your shoes." I answer and he sulks back into his room. Moments later he reappears in his shiny new dress shoes.

"Well? How about now?"

"Brilliant." I smile up at him "You look very dashing."

"Thank you. He adjusts his bowtie, before glancing at his reflection in the mirror.

"Bond. James Bond." He murmurs to himself

"Preening yourself, are we?"

The Doctor and I look over to see Rose walking towards us, looking like a goddess.

She's in a royal purple gown, which just brushes the floor. The bodice is tight down to the hips, and covered in hundreds of white crystals. Its strapless and has a sweetheart neckline, which accents her collarbone and beautiful silver necklace, a cursive letter "R". Her hair is curled, but pulled back in a somewhat messy bun behind her head, leaving a few strands whispering by her cheekbones. Her eyes are alight with excitement and are accented by her makeup. Through the shifting of the dress's skirt I can just see her shiny silver three and a half inch heels.

The Doctor is completely speechless, his face pale and eyes wide.

"What?" She looks at him, her smile fading slightly with worry

"Oh, Nothing! You look beautiful. You…you look Brilliant. Fantastic." The Doctor responds, having recovered slightly.

"Really?" Rose blushes slightly, breaking his gaze

"Yes!"

"Well, you do look handsome too, Doctor. I told you you'd clean up well." Rose tells him, somewhat breathlessly.

They both awkwardly stare at each other for another moment before the Doctor says, "Ready to go?"

"Yes. We don't want to be late! We're the guests of honor!" Rose grins, walking closer towards us.

We quickly leave and head downstairs where a car is waiting for us.

We arrive at the palace, which is an enormous cream building. A guard, dressed in pink, leads us down the hallways until we reach the entrance.

"Wait here for her majesty to announce you." He orders before leaving

Rose looks at the Doctor, biting her lip slightly "I'm nervous." She whispers to him

"Don't be. It'll be fine." He whispers back. "Plus, I wont leave your side."

She smiles gratefully at him, and he offers her his arm. She takes it, and I walk on his other side and take his hand.

"Ready?" He whispers to us

"Yes."

Suddenly a booming voice echoes from behind the closed door.

"And please welcome the guests of honor, Sir Doctor, his wife Dame Rose and their Daughter, Wolfe!"

Rose hardly has time to gasp at the fact he made them married before the doors open and we walk into the room, to a chorus of applause.

We walk into the room, to where the President and her husband are standing.

She is a tall, elegant brunette with sharp cheekbones and warm green eyes. Her husband is a thin, dark eyed and dark haired man with a hunch.

We stop about five feet from her and the Doctor drops Rose's arm and my hand, bowing politely.

I follow his lead, curtsying and so does Rose.

"Thank you for coming today, Doctor. It is a honor to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine." The Doctor responds, kindly

"Enjoy the festivities and I hope you have a lovely evening."

She sits again and on cue, the orchestra starts playing and people start milling about, talking to one another, their laughs light and airy, and delicately holding their champagne glasses.

I wander away from Rose and the Doctor, who have found several other couples to talk with. It seems to me that I am the only child here. I slip quietly through the many skirts and around the pants.

"Hello Wolfe." Says a very majestic sounding voice.

I look up to see the President smiling kindly down at me.

"Hello Ma'am."

"Please, call me Reaghann." She laughs, "How are you?"

"I'm doing well thank you. The ball is lovely."

"I'm glad. I haven't seen your father in a very long time. I was just 16 when I first met him." Reaghann explains, looking over to where the Doctor was gesturing wildly, captivating the crowd around him. "He looks different than he did back then."

"Reaghann, if you don't mind me asking, why aren't you confused that he looks so different?"

"I knew the Doctor was different when I first met him. It didn't take me long to figure out he was alien. I grew up here. Aliens are hardly extraordinary. He explained to me that the next time we met he may look a little different, but that he'd tell me something that would make sure I knew it was him."

"What did he say?" I ask, captivated

"Hello Rae! Want a cup of tea?" She chuckles when she finishes

"That was a long time ago. Almost 30 years. He was travelling with a different young woman back then. Dirty blonde, with big blue eyes and wore her hair in braids. She wore lots of patches on her jacket. I don't recall her name…" Sighs Reaghann

"Her name was Ace, my love." The President's husband had wandered over during her conversation with me.

"Yes, Ace. Wolfe this is my husband Colby. We were a young couple, just 17 and 16, when we met the Doctor and Ace." She looks lovingly at her husband. "Got married just two years later. We invited the Doctor, but he was busy."

Colby nods in agreement, staying quiet.

My stomach rumbles, loudly, and I realize I haven't eaten for several hours.

"Sounds like you're hungry! Here, let me show you where the refreshments are." Reaghann says, leading me through the crowd.

It's been a couple of hours, and the sun has set, leaving he room alight by candles and chandeliers. After dinner, the orchestra has picked up and most people are dancing together. Rose and the Doctor are still sitting, talking to some of the people who do not want to dance, or have no dance partner.

One man, who was a particularly handsome blonde with big blue eyes was staring at Rose.

The song ends and everyone claps.

He stands and walks over to her

"Hello. My name is Allen. Would you care to dance with me?" He offers Rose his hand

Blushing, Rose takes it, saying, "I'd love to."

The Doctor's eyes narrow protectively but he says nothing.

Allen and Rose take to the dance floor, whirling about in a variety of slower, almost waltz like dances.

Looking very angry, the Doctor never lets his eyes leave her, following her throughout the swirling colors on the dance floor.

I frown as I notice Rose start to pull away from Allen when the song ends, only to have him pull her closer. She tugs again, and he clearly digs his hand into her skirt to hold her to him. The next song starts and he starts to dance again, his hand sliding down from her back. She yanks it back up, but he slides it down again. He presses closer against her, and now it's clear she's trying to get away.

I stand, but the Doctor charges onto the dance floor. He whacks Allen on the shoulder.

"May I step in?" hisses the Doctor as I come closer

Allen looks like he's going to say no, when the Doctor leans close and whispers into his ear.

Allen's face grows pale and beads of sweat form on his forehead. He drops Rose and hurries off the dance floor.

The Doctor takes his spot easily, hands sliding onto Rose's waist, pulling her towards him. Rose's arms slide around his neck and they dance slowly together.

"Thank you." Rose gasps to the Doctor.

"No problem." He smiles down at her "Besides Allen are you enjoying yourself."

"Yes Doctor. This is one of the most amazing nights of my life."

She smiles, before cautiously laying her head down on his chest, just below his right shoulder.

I step away, not wanting to intrude, but I see their mouths move as they talk quietly to one another.

They dance and dance, song after song. Even when some of the party guests start to leave, they stay and dance.

I catch sight of Reaghann watching them, a special gleam in her eye.

Two songs later, Rose and the Doctor step off the dance floor.

They walk over to Reaghann. "Where is the rest room?" Rose asks her

"Just down this hall." Gestures Reaghann.

"I'll be right back Doctor-" starts Rose

"No, I'm coming with you in case Allen is hiding down there." Frowns the Doctor, protectively.

Rose smiles at him "Okay."

They start down the hallway and I wait a couple minutes for them to return, while Reaghann drifts away.

When they don't I go down the hall, and catch sight of them standing on one of the balconies.

Rose has the Doctor's jacket over her shoulders and it looks like the type of thing you'd see in a movie. They're both looking at the skyline and the water, and stealing glances at each other in the moonlight.

I don't interrupt, watching with building glee, as they continue talking, moving closer and closer. Rose leans her head on the Doctor's shoulder and he smiles down at her. I suddenly gasp as I realize they're dangerously close to kissing. His eyes glance down at her lips, almost unwillingly.

She stares up at him, as they move fractions of inches closer.

"Rose?" Whispers the Doctor, their mouths no more than two inches apart.

"Doctor! Doctor?" One of the guards comes running down the hall and charging out onto the balcony "Her Majesty would like to speak to you and your family before she retires for the evening." He announces, as the Doctor and Rose step apart, awkwardly.

"Ugh!" I groan, my forehead hitting the wall in front of me.

 _So close._

"We're on our way." Rose says, following the guard briskly.

I realize they'll know I was spying if I stay here so I run down the hallway and back into the ballroom, where almost everyone has dispersed.

Reaghann is standing near her table with Colby. I hurry towards them and a few moments later Rose and the Doctor come over.

I see Reaghann's eyes quietly take in the fact Rose is wearing the Doctor's jacket, but she says nothing.

"Thank you for coming Doctor. It was lovely to see you again. I hope to see you again sometime before I pass."

"I hope I'll find my way back here before then too!" Smiles the Doctor. Giving her a hug

"It's been a pleasure." Colby says, extending his hand to the Doctor, who shakes it enthusiastically.

Rose shakes both Reaghann's and Colby's hands.

"As for you, Wolfe, it was a pleasure talking with you. I hope to see you again too."

"Thank you. It was nice to meet you." I nod politely at Reaghann, not wanting to touch her for fear of seeing her timeline. "And you as well, sir." I nod at Colby too.

"Good bye, Doctor."

"Goodbye, Rae."

I pause as Rose and the Doctor hurry away. Colby wanders off too. I turn to Reaghann

"Do you love the Doctor?" I ask her before I think it may be a bad idea.

She looks down at me, eyes soft "Yes. But he never loved me. In fact in my foolish years I believed he could never love anyone, but I see that I'm wrong." Her eyes rise to look at Rose and the Doctor, before back down at me. "They're not married are they? Not yet anyway." She says, firmly

"No…no they're not." I answer, wistfully

"Then are you really their daughter?"

"Yes. They just don't know it yet." I smile ruefully at her "And you must never tell them."

"I doubt I will see the Doctor again in my lifetime, Wolfe."

"Don't say that-"

"Its true. I only have a handful of months left to live. I couldn't believe my luck when I heard the Doctor was in town. I figured I would get my last goodbye."

"I'm so sorry." I whisper to her,

"Don't be. I lived a happy life, started with the Doctor, and now…ended with him." She smiles "Go and be with your parents. They need you as much as you need them. I can tell. I've always wanted a daughter of my own, and they are lucky that they have you."

"Thank you, Reaghann. It was an honor to meet you."

"No thank you." She smiles at me, and turns, following Colby

"Wolfe?" I hear Rose beckon me from the door.

"Coming."

I hurry over to them.

We follow a guard out to the car, and neither the Doctor nor Rose say anything about the almost kiss, and as soon as we get home, we go to bed.


	56. Chapter 56

_We follow a guard out to the car, and neither the Doctor nor Rose say anything about the almost kiss, and as soon as we get home, we go to bed._

I wake with a start; acutely aware of the fact neither Rose nor the Doctor are nearby me, like they were when we fell asleep. I sit up, my hair still in its curls from last night, though far messier. Sliding out of the covers, I stumble towards the main room. I freeze when I see Rose and the Doctor looking through the same folder they were yesterday. Today they're marking things and discussing things in low voices. All awkwardness from the night before seems to be forgotten. I decide to be loud walking in to give them time to hide whatever they're doing.

I yawn obnoxiously and rub my eyes as I walk into the room. I see the Doctor frantically take the folder and hide it in his jacket.

"Good Morning Wolfe!" Rose says, hurrying over to me. "The Doctor and I were just talking about talking you out for breakfast. What do you think?"

"That sounds yummy." I smile at her and she grins

"Good. Why don't you go get dressed and we'll leave as soon as you're ready." I hurry back to my room, and start to change. I wear turquoise shorts, a white tank top, sunglasses and my black converse.

When I get back to the main room, the folder is nowhere to be seen.

"Ready?" Asks Rose, getting up from where she and the Doctor were at the dining room table.

"Ready." I answer

We arrive at "Barcelona's Best Breakfast" after a short walk down the sidewalk from the hotel. The building is shaped to look like a stack of pancakes, and the inside is waffle themed.

We sit down and order quickly. The Doctor orders Banana pancakes, Rose orders eggs benedict and I order chocolate chip pancakes.

"What's the plan for today?" I ask

"Well, I was thinking we could go on a bike ride on the boardwalk this morning, and then after lunch we could come out into town and look for something fun to do" Rose answers

"Sounds good." Agrees the Doctor. He turns and flags down a waitress.

She looks like a hippopotamus with thin purple fur.

"Yes?"

"Could you tell me where any good bike rental places would be?" He asks her kindly

"Oh yeah, there's one about three blocks down from here. Called "Barcelona's Bike Business"." She answers

"You bunch seem to like 'B's quite a bit don't you?" laughs Rose

"I suppose so." Smiles the waitress "Is there anything else you need?"

"No thank you." Smiles the Doctor

The waitress walks away

"Okay so after breakfast, we'll walk down the street, find the bike place, rent a couple of bikes, go for a ride, and then return them to the bike shop and go back to the hotel?" The Doctor double checks with us

"Sounds brilliant." I smile

"So did you have fun last night Wolfe?"

"Yes!" I smile "It was fun to be so dressed up and dance and Reaghann was really nice-"  
"Reaghann?" Rose interrupts "Who's Reaghann?"

"Oh…the president." I say, suddenly realizing I never told Rose about her.

Rose and the Doctor burst out laughing

"You're on a first name basis with the President of Barcelona?" the Doctor manages around his laughs

"So are you!" I smile "She told me the story of how you two met, all those years ago."

The Doctor's smile fades slightly "Yep."

"So anyway," I start again, wanting to move on from the topic of Reaghann, "Did you two have fun?"

Rose and the Doctor suddenly shift away from each other on the bench where they were eating. Rose turns pink and the Doctor rubs the back of his hair uncomfortably.

"Oh, well I thought it was brilliant. Hated the tux, but besides that yeah, good fun." The Doctor answers awkwardly

"Yes. It was lovely, except for that jerk on the dance floor. I loved feeling so…pretty." Rose smiles reflectively

"Chocolate chip pancakes?"

I look up to see our waitress, a human-looking woman with short black hair, holding my plate of pancakes

Grinning I say, "That's me!"

Two more waiters come over and give Rose and the Doctor their food.

I dig in immediately, and it tastes like heaven. The chocolate in the pancakes is coating my entire mouth and the pancake itself is soft and spongy and absolutely spectacular.

"This is fantastic." Sighs the Doctor, right before he eats another forkful of his banana pancakes.

"Agreed." Rose says as she takes another bite.

By the time we finish, chocolate is coating my fork, my hands and my mouth. It's amazing my clothes are still clean.

"Wolfe, come here." The Doctor laughs as he takes one of the extra napkins and wets it in his glass of water.

He gets up and slides in my side of the booth and starts to clean my face and hands.

"Doctor." I whine, wiggling away.

"I'm nearly done." He says, and suddenly I lean forward and plant a chocolate covered kiss on his cheek, leaving a mark.

I giggle as he wipes it off, rolling his eyes, before continuing to help me clean up. I glance side ways at Rose, whose eyes are doing the thing where they grow all soft and distant when she looks at the Doctor.

"There we go. No more chocolate all over you." The Doctor says, kissing the top of my head.

He gets up and slides back into his booth. The check arrives moments later, and we leave to go find the bike store.

We walk for about ten minutes before we find the brightly colored building. Its very yellow, with blue writing saying in all caps, BARCELONA BIKE BUSINESS.

We walk inside, to find three bird-looking aliens walking amongst rows and rows of machines. I quickly realize that unlike earth, this bike shop has electric, anti gravity, gas run and so many other different types of bikes.

"Welcome to the Triple B!" One man says, walking over. "How can I help you? My name is Downey."

"Hello Downey we were hoping we could rent three original bikes for the morning." The Doctor announces in his usual enthusiastic way

"Follow me. This room is where our original bikes are…" he leads us down a hall and into a new room, also filled with bikes.

"Just find one you like, in the right size and I'll charge you per hour and off you'll go." He explains "I'll be at the front desk if you need anything."

"Yes, thank you!" Rose says, as the Doctor is already wandering around the bikes pulling and adjusting and prodding to find one.

Downey leaves and I start to look through the smaller bikes.

"Oh, look at this beauty!" The Doctor exclaims, tugging a very old and worn bike from the backmost section, behind all of the others.

It looks to be in decent condition, and the color was probably once blue, but now is faded to grey in most spots.

"She's perfect." He grins, holding her beside him proudly.

Rose smiles, and hides her laughter by continuing to look for a bike for herself. Leave it to the Doctor to find the Tardis equivalent of a bike.

I finally find a small, pale purple one that suits me. Tugging it into the aisle of the hallway, I inspect it for any problems. It seems to be in good condition, better than the Doctor's anyway, and I love the color.

"Rose, Doctor what do you think of mine?" I say, showing them my pretty purple bike.

"I like it Wolfe! How about this one?" Rose tugs a yellow bike from another pile. It is definitely cleaner and in better condition than either the Doctor or my bikes.

"Its very bright." I answer, smiling

"Are we good then?" The Doctor asks

"Yes!"

We lead our bikes out to the front desk where Downey tags our bikes, gives us helmets, and lets us go. We start off down the street for about ten minutes before we turn onto the start of the boardwalk.

"Alright, so the boardwalk is about six kilometers there and six kilometers back are you up for the whole trip?" grins Rose

"Absolutely!" I reply

"Doctor, you take the rear, Wolfe in the middle and I'll lead." dictates Rose before she pushes off the ground and starts pedaling down the bike path of the dark brown boardwalk.

The air rushes by my ears, chilling them slightly. The invigorating somewhat salty air is sucked in and out of my lungs, my breathless laughter ripped from my lips by the wind. My legs pedal hard to keep up with Rose, who seems to be flying.

The land races by, the shoreline running beside me. Flashes of tourists create streaks of bright against the blue and gold backdrop of the sea and sand.

When we make it back to the hotel, after our twelve-kilometer bike ride, we're all exhausted.

"That was fun, but I'm tired." I sigh, settling down on the couch next to the Doctor and Rose, all of us freshly showered.

"I have an idea. Why don't we spend the afternoon here, relaxing. We'll watch a movie, order room service for dinner and relax right here on the couch." The Doctor suggests

"Sounds brilliant." Rose sighs, snuggling closer to the Doctor.

"What movie should we watch?" I ask

"Why don't we pick a theme or genre?" offers Rose

"What about Disney?" Grins the Doctor.

"Alright. Disney. Now what movie." Agrees Rose

"Anastasia." Suggests the Doctor, immediately "I haven't watched that movie in forever."

"What about Beauty and the Beast? I love that one." I counter

"I vote Beauty and the Beast!" Rose agrees

"I'm not going to complain." The Doctor shakes his head, " I love that one too!"

"Beauty and the Beast it is." I announce

Rose whines as the Doctor gets up to go find the DVD.

He returns moments later and turns on the movie.

Settling back down between us, Rose shifts to lay her head on his shoulder, snuggled up next to him. I mimic her, tucking myself against his side, under one of his arms. He reaches over and tugs a grey, fluffy blanket from behind me and spreads it over Rose, himself and me.

"There we are." He smiles affectionately down at us "My girls."

Tears spring in my eyes as he says that, and I snuggle closer into his chest, my body aching with love. I shut my eyes as the song "Belle" starts, soaking in the feeling of perfect, quiet family.


	57. Chapter 57

_I shut my eyes as the song "Belle" starts, soaking in the feeling of perfect, quiet family._

The calmness of watching the movie is broken by the sound of a phone ringing loudly.

"Doctor, is that your phone?" I hear Rose hiss as the Doctor hurries to his feet.

"Yes. Something must be wrong. I attached it to the Tardis. Told her only to call if she found something that truly needed me to come help." The Doctor answers, sounding worried, and I stand up.

"I'm sorry Rose, I really am but we need to go back to the Tardis." The Doctor begs

"Doctor, its okay. These past three days have been brilliant and I knew at some point we'd have to go save the world again. Plus, I was going to say that tomorrow it was Wolfe's turn to pick where we went, so we'll just postpone her trip for a day or two until we save the world." Rose shrugs it off, scooping me up off the couch.

"Come on Wolfe, we got to pack. Doctor, call the reception desk and tell them we're checking out. Then, go get the Tardis and bring her in here. Wolfe and I will pack." Rose orders

"Thank you, Rose."

"Come off it, now get going!"

He turns and hurries out the door.

"Alright Wolfe, why don't we play a game. If we can pack everything before the Doctor can get back, then we win." Rose says, setting me down on the floor.

"Okay!" I grin, much more awake now.

I run to my suitcase, which much like the Tardis, is bigger on the inside. I toss everything of mine into it as fast as I can, Rose doing the same with her things.

Once I finish checking the bathroom, under the beds, and the kitchen, I zip my bag up and help Rose with the Doctor's.

We finish right as we hear the familiar wheezing of the Tardis

"Whoo!" Cheers Rose "We won!"

I laugh, and we drag the suitcases into the main room where the Tardis is now parked. The Doctor pokes his head out.

"Ready to go?"

"Yep." Rose slides the suitcases over to him one by one and he tosses them into the back of the Tardis, followed by Rose and I.

"Goodbye Barcelona." I whisper as I shut the door behind me, and the Doctor starts the Tardis and we take off.

"So we have about half an hour. Not to far away in time, on earth. We're looking for some sort of shadow-based alien. Escaped form the Howling Halls. In the mean time, what do you two want to do?" The Doctor says, flopping down on one of his squeaky chairs.

"Well, Wolfe, where do you want to go next?" Rose asks me, sitting next to the Doctor.

"I don't know." I answer, honestly, making myself comfortable on the floor, leaning against the console, facing them. "I don't want to just go somewhere, I want to experience something I never have." I explain "but I haven't done so much because of…Torchwood…" I trail off, uncomfortably

"Well, what are things you've always wanted to do that you never could?" The Doctor asks

I purse my lips, thinking hard, before a sudden thought comes to mind. A smile spreads across my face. "How about I give you a theme and you decide where we should go?"

"Okay. What is your theme?"

"Christmas! Oh, Doctor, I've always wanted to have a real Christmas! I want snow and Christmas trees and lights and Christmas morning and shiny wrapping paper and ice-skating and your breath billowing in front of your face and Christmas music! I want a Christmas that will make up for the past 20 missed Christmases." I giggle with joy.

The Doctor and Rose look at each other, excitement written all over their faces.

"That sounds brilliant!" Gasps Rose "A real Christmas for Wolfe."

"Wolfe, since we really shouldn't do a London Christmas-I have a bad track record with those-why don't we do a New York City Classic Christmas?" The Doctor asks, eyes lit up

"Fantastic!" I laugh, excitement fizzing under my skin

"If we're going to be having a Christmas theme, why don't we do…" The Doctor hops up, pressing a couple buttons on the console "This!"

As soon as he does, echoing around us starts a Christmas carol,

"Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." The Doctor begins to sing, as Rose laughs

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, ev'rywhere you go!" He spins around "Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again with candy canes and silver lanes aglow!"

Rose stands and grabs his hand, singing with him "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, toys in ev'ry store," He spins her around "But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door!" As they sing this, the Doctor presses a button and the smell of pine enters the room.

"A pair of hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots is the wish of Barney and Ben; Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk is the hope of Janice and Jen; And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again!" The Doctor grabs my hands and tugs me from the floor, spinning me around, all of us singing together

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Ev'rywhere you go; There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well, The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow."

Rose intercepts our circle and the three of us sing and dance in a circle

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas; Soon the bells will start, and the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing right within your heart!"

We continue to dance in the music break, and then the Doctor starts the next verse

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas; Soon the bells will start, and the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing right within your heart!"

"Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" Rose sings

"Christmas!" Echoes the Doctor and I

"Christmas!"

"Christmas!"

We stop as the song ends, panting and laughing, eyes alight with excitement and joy.

Then the next song starts to play.

The Tardis wheezes as we land, the music to _Jingle Bell Rock_ fading as the Doctor lands the Tardis.

"Here we are. Hurry." The Doctor orders, transitioning quickly from happy and light to serious and focused. He opens the door, and hurries out, looking around in confusion. Rose and I follow.

We appear to be in a backyard of a small house in the suburbs. There's a red swing set, and a small white fence. It's dark out, perhaps its dawn here, and its pretty cold. Luckily Rose and I both have pulled on black, fluffy jackets to keep us warm.

The Doctor looks over to the back door, suddenly, and takes off in that direction.

Seconds later, a woman's muffled scream echoes out of the house.

I run after him, Rose rushes past me into the house.

The Doctor is sonicing something in the kitchen, a moving shadow of some sort.

"Doctor-" Rose starts, both of us walk into the kitchen, both of us freezes upon seeing a blonde woman's body on the floor of the kitchen. She kneels down next to her, taking her pulse. Rose's face says everything.

I look back over to the Doctor, his eyes dark with some unspoken emotion. The shadow is gone.

"I trapped it in the sonic. I'll ship it back to the Howling Halls when we get back on the Tardis." He says, voice hollow

He turns around to leave, in silence, walking towards the back door.

"Mummy?"

We all stop moving, in silence, my horror growing.

"Rose, take Wolfe and go to the Tardis. Now." Orders The Doctor

"But-" I start.

"Go." Hisses the Doctor as the sound of small footsteps wanders closer.

Rose grabs me, scoops me up and takes off out of the house and to the Tardis.

"It was a kid. The woman had a child." I whisper, horrified.

"I know. Come on, there's nothing we can do. We came as fast as we could." Rose whispers, as she shuts the Tardis door behind us.

"Let the Doctor handle it and then we'll get going okay?" Rose says as she sets me down

"But he wont be okay. He'll just hide his pain and try to be happy for my sake. Rose, when he gets back, and we head for New York, you have to make him happy again."

"I don't know if I can." Rose shakes her head

"Yes you can, you always do. I've looked into both your timelines before. He was so hurt and angry and broken when he first met you…you fixed him. You help him see that life was worth living. Just being around you makes him happy again, reminds him even the simple things in life are beautiful."

Rose smiles down at me, blushing slightly "Really?"

"Yes."

The door of the Tardis opens, and the Doctor steps in, face dark with guilt, shoulders hunched, as if the weight of the world was suddenly placed upon them.

"She had a son. Elton. No older than Wolfe." He tells us, brokenly, before walking over to the console, and hitting a couple of buttons. We take off, and besides the Tardis wheezing, it's silent.

"Doctor-"

"Don't. Please, please don't." The Doctor looks up at her.

"Pull over." Orders Rose, suddenly forceful.

"What?" demands the Doctor, surprise taking over his guilt for a moment.

"Come on Doctor, this is essentially a car, pull us over. I don't care where in time and space. Now." Rose yells

The Doctor slams his hand on the console, and the Tardis jerks to the side sending Rose and I stumbling into the rails.

With a screech and a wheeze, we land.

"Come here." Rose stands up straight and drags the Doctor to the Tardis door by his tie

"Wait Rose we don't know if there's oxygen-" Panics the Doctor

"The Tardis has an oxygen bubble around it I won't go too far, come on." She opens the door and proceeds to drag him out by his tie.

I follow, but remain inside the Tardis, just peering out of the door.

We've landed on an asteroid of some sort. Huge stone structures tower above the surface, as a sun is setting ahead of us, casting a golden glow on everything. Strange bird-like aliens are flapping around, cawing at each other.

She tugs him about five feet to the side of the Tardis, before stopping and turning around to face him.

I can just hear their voices.

"Look me in the eye and tell me it's not your fault."

"Rose-"

"Tell me, make me believe that you _know_ what happened back there was not your fault."

"But it is." His voice is broken

"But it isn't! You can't expect to save everyone Doctor! You know that, you know that people die and there's nothing you can do about it. Don't carry it around with you. So look me in the eye and tell me."

"Rose…I can't…."The Doctor begs

"Then tell me how it _is_ your fault."

He looks at her, bewildered.

"I…I was too late. If I had gone sooner, or wasn't…" He stops mid sentence.

"Wasn't what, Doctor? Having the time of your life on vacation with Wolfe and I?" Rose's tone is harsh. "Doctor. Don't beat yourself up for having fun. The universe shouldn't have to rely on you to save them." Rose's voice softens, and she walks closer, wrapping her arms around the Doctor's neck, whispering something to him I can't hear.

The Doctor's shoulders relax, and the guilty look in his face has started to fade.

Rose steps away, and in silence they turn to look at the sunset together for a moment.

"How long are you gonna stay with me?" He turns slightly to look at her, his voice light

"Forever." She answers him firmly.

He smiles at her affectionately, reaching out his hand, wiggling his fingers.

She takes his hand, and squeezes it. He squeezes back.

Giggling, he tugs her gently back to the Tardis, and I go to sit on one of the old white chairs, acting as if I haven't just watched their entire encounter.


	58. Chapter 58

_Giggling, he tugs her gently back to the Tardis, and I go to sit on one of the old white chairs, acting as if I haven't just watched their entire encounter._

We take off again, headed for New York, New York at Christmastime.

"So, what do you want to do? It'll be a while, because the Tardis is a little tired, and we have to avoid a solar storm. We have about four hours." The Doctor announces, much more jubilant.

"Why don't we do something Christmas themed?" adds Rose

"Christmas cookies?" the Doctor begs, grinning "I _love_ Christmas cookies!"

"Oh let's make some!" I gasp, delighted

"Which types? We can make gingerbread men, or Sugar cookies, or peanut butter cookies…" Rose lists

"All of them!" The Doctor cries, taking Rose and my hands, and leading us down the corridors and into the kitchen.

"Alright, Rose you make the Gingerbread dough. I'll make the peanut butter cookie dough and the Hershey kisses. Wolfe you focus on the sugar cookie dough!" The Doctor dictates as we tug out the ingredients and bowls onto the large table.

Following the directions the Tardis supplied, we start baking as Christmas music starts playing _White Christmas_ in the background.

Laughing and chatting, we mix our dough. The Doctor finishes the peanut butter first.

"Doctor let me try!" begs Rose chasing after the Doctor and his bowl, currently abandoning mixing her gingerbread dough.

"Rose! No! Do you remember what happened last time? You ate almost all of it!"

"No I did not! Doctor let me try some of the dough!"

"Hold on." He uses his fingers to scoop a relatively small amount of the dough out, and holds the bowl away from Rose with his other hand.

Rose leans forward and eats the cookie dough right of his fingers

"Delicious." Sighs Rose, shutting her eyes and savoring the flavor.

"Thank you." The Doctor puffs his chest out slightly.

"Go put them in the oven!" orders Rose, laughing

The Doctor starts scooping the dough into little circles on the cookie tray, in dozens. Soon he has three trays full, and he puts them all in the ovens, before starting to unwrap the family size bag of Hershey kisses.

He slides one down the table to me and I pop it in my mouth, savoring the flavor.

"Oi!" Rose gasps, offended he didn't give one to her.

"Open." He orders, and she obliges, opening her mouth. He tosses an unwrapped Hershey kiss into her mouth.

"Mmm." She hums, satisfied.

Now I've finished the sugar cookies.

"Doctor! Where are the cookie cutters?" I ask

"Check the drawer two down to your left on the bottom."

I open it to find almost two-dozen Christmas themed cookie cutters.

Piling them on the table, I select five of my favorites-a star, a stocking, a Christmas tree, a gingerbread man, and a Christmas present.

I slide Rose another Gingerbread man cookie cutter.

Rolling out the sugar cookie dough in flour, I start cutting up the cookies, and re rolling, until I have a total of 6 cookies per shape.

"Doctor if you're done with the kisses will you help me get my cookies onto pans?" I call, and he hurries over.

We fill two and a half pans with the cookies, and sneak bites of the leftover dough.

"Rose catch!" Calls the Doctor having made a little ball out of the sugar cookie dough.

He tosses it to her and she quickly gobbles it up.

"Mmm." She grins at us.

A timer beeps, and the Doctor hurries to take all of his cookies out of the oven.

"Rose, Wolfe! Help me put all the Hershey kisses on the peanut butter cookies!" the Doctor calls.

"First person to finish a tray wins!" grins Rose, handing all of us Hershey kisses.

"Ready, set, Go!"

We race to place the chocolates into as many cookies as we can.

"Done!" Rose shrieks, nearly whacking the Doctor as her arms go up in glee. I had just one more to go.

We laugh, and put the cookies onto a cooling rack, before we put my cookies into the ovens.

The Doctor and I start making the decorative icing as Rose rolls out the gingerbread dough, cutting it into little gingerbread men.

We first make a huge batch of pure white icing, before spooning it into six different bowls. We spoon most of the icing into a main bowl to leave white, and we dye the other five bowls of icing-dark green, red, gold, light green and silver.

My cookies are done, and beautifully golden brown.

We place them on the cooling rack, and put Rose's gingerbread men into the oven.

"The cookies are too warm to decorate yet." Warns Rose.  
"But we can taste test the peanut butter cookies!" grins the Doctor, grabbing one.

Rose giggles, grabbing one for herself, and handing one to me. They're still slightly warm from the oven.

"One…two…three!" The Doctor counts, and we all take a huge bite of our cookies, the partly melted sweet kisses coating our mouths, contrasting the silky and salty flavor of the peanut butter.

"This is heaven." Rose sighs, slowly chewing her bite.

The Doctor is barely able to chew, he's grinning so widely, looking between the two of us.

I swallow my first bite and eagerly take another, this one even more filled with chocolate.

"Mmm" I giggle

Much too quickly we finish our cookies. The Gingerbread aren't done yet, and the sugar cookies still need a few more minutes before they're ready to be decorated.

The Doctor turns up the music, the song _Rockin' around the Christmas tree_ , urges us to clean faster, as we sing, dance and clean the very messy kitchen.

We do all the dishes, wipe down the table and put away the ingredients. Then we pull out various sprinkles, and piping bags and knives for decorating our sugar cookies and gingerbread men.

Once we're done, the sugar cookies are ready to be decorated. Each of us get two cookies per shape to design.

"I'm going to make my present have a dark green ribbon." Rose announces, diving for the green piping bag right away.

"Mine is going to be silver and red" I explain as I take the red piping bag, and start piping the box part of the present's color.

"Look Doctor what do you think?" Rose holds up her present cookie, which now sports a handsome dark green bow.

"Brilliant Rose. What do you think of mine?" The Doctor holds up his stocking, which has a green foot and a gold rim.

"Very pretty Doctor!" I complement as I take the silver and start piping my bow out.

We continue for a little while, decorating all of our cookies, various combinations of colors, only taking a break to remove the gingerbread men from the oven.

Now we've finished all six presents, men, stockings, trees and stars. All the trees are dark green, with varying colors of tinsel and sprinkles designed to look like ornaments. The stars are various patters of silver and gold. The men are dressed in varying colored sweaters and trousers, and facial expressions. The presents and stockings are a combination of all the colors, in various styles, ranging from stripes to polka dots.

"All of the Gingerbread men will have a Red scarf, green buttons and white eyes." Rose informs us, as she arms the Doctor and I with a red, green, and white piping bag each.

With a delicate touch, I start the scarves on each gingerbread man, until all twelve of mine look very cozy in their red scarves. I then give them all eyes, and finish with buttons.

"What do you think Rose? Your little scarved army?" I laugh

She comes over from where she'd just finished her dozen of cookies.

"Looks great Wolfe!"

"I bet the icing would have dried on the sugar cookies by now. Why don't we pack them up, finish cleaning and by the time we're done we'll pack up the gingerbread men. We can bring them with us when we get to New York." The Doctor suggests.

We start cleaning, packaging our cookies, stealing a few in between, and all the while Christmas music playing loudly and all of us laughing.

We land in New York fifteen minutes after we finish cleaning. We packed during the break, exchanging our bathing suits for our warmer clothes. Now I'm dressed in a puffy black jacket, with a hood lined in fluffy faux fur. My leggings are thick, and I have a long sleeve back sweater and a green and black plaid skirt on. Of course, I still have my red converse.

The Doctor is dressed in his usual suit, and Rose is in thick black pants, a turquoise blue sweater, light brown boots, and a matching jacket.

The Doctor grabs His suitcase and Rose's and leaves the door.

"Come here Wolfe." Rose sighs, before I can walk out, She tugs my to her, hands me a pair of dark blue mittens and sticks a dark blue hat on my head.

"I don't want you getting a cold!" she warns, grabbing my suitcase and the bag with the cookies, and herding me out the door.


	59. Chapter 59

_"_ _I don't want you getting a cold!" she warns, grabbing my suitcase and the bag with the cookies, and herding me out the door._

I step out into to crisp, cold air, snow delicately floating down, in big, thick flakes. Snow is already coating the ground, about 5 centimeters deep.

People are everywhere, all of them human. They bustle by, some arms full of bags, others on their cell phones and still more just rushing around.

Various Christmas songs echo softly, coming from speakers outdoors and open shop doors.

"Wolfe, the hotel is this way." The Doctor calls "I want to get there and finish unpacking before five so we can go see the tree before dinner."

"The tree?" I ask as I hurry through the snow towards where the Doctor has already started down the street.

"Rockefeller center tree. Giant Christmas tree they put up every year!" the Doctor explains over his shoulder. "Come on. Almost there."

I follow them quickly and moments later we walk into the lobby of a very nice hotel, right on the edge of Central Park.

"Hello!" The Doctor says, walking up to the check in desk.

"Hello and happy holidays! Do you have a reservation?" the balding, older but joyful man asks

"Yes, under John Smith." The Doctor cheerfully replies "and Happy Holidays to you as well."

"Thank you! Is this your daughter?" He peers over the desk, looking at me

"Yes she is." The Doctor says, proudly, not skipping a beat.  
"Hello there and what might your name be?"

"Wolfe." I answer smiling up at him

"I have just the thing for you Wolfe, and then I'll give you your key Mr. Smith, just a moment…" he wanders into a small closet behind the desk and we hear sounds of rummaging before he reemerges, holding a brown stuffed animal reindeer. It's about the size of a cat, very fluffy, with huge green eyes and a bright red ribbon tied around its neck.

He walks around the desk and bends over handing it to me.

"You remind me of my granddaughter. I hope you have a very, very merry Holiday."

"Thank you!" I grin, taking the very soft stuffed animal from him and tightening my arms around it, already vowing not to let him go.

"Thank you." Rose says to the man, whose nametag says Wally, as he straightens back up, and hands the Doctor our key card for our hotel room.

"No problem!"

"Happy Holidays!" the Doctor says as we start towards the elevator

"Happy Holidays!" Wally calls back

"Wait!" I gasp, grabbing the bag with the cookies in it.

I take out one sugar cookie, one peanut butter cookie and one gingerbread man, and run back over to Wally.

"Here!" I say handing them to him as he grins "Homemade."

"Thank you Wolfe."

"No problem!"

I turn back around and run back to Rose and the Doctor, before following them into the elevator.

"That was very nice of you Wolfe." The Doctor says, grinning down at me. "So what are you going to name him?" Rose asks, smiling

"Starbuck." I giggle, holding Starbuck a little tighter to my chest.

"Why?" Rose looks at me in confusion

"The ship from Moby Dick. I also thought since he's a deer it made sense. We'll call him Bucky for short."

"Bucky. Alright then." The Doctor grins as the elevator dings and we follow him down the hallway and into our room.

It's a golden themed room, with a gold and cream main room, and the bedroom off to the side is gold and blue.

We shrug off all of our winter gear at the hall closet, and hang them up.

"Alright. Unpack quickly, and then we're going to head out. I want to be at the tree by five!" The Doctor says as he heaves our suitcases onto the bed

"First one to finish wins!" Rose laughs, opening her suitcase.

I leave Starbuck next to my suitcase as we scramble around the room, unpacking our clothing into drawers and hanging coats and dresses up in the closet, leaving our toiletries in the bathroom and lining our shoes up on one side of the room.

The Doctor and I race to the wall, lining up our shoes

"Done!" we shriek at the same time

"I was first!" I gasp at the same time as he says, "I win!"

"You two are such children." Snorts Rose as she finishes hanging up her dress. "Put your suitcases under the bed and then get your hats and gloves on."

She shoves her suitcase under the bed, and then leaves the room to go to the hall closet, while the Doctor sulks over to his suitcase and follows her lead.

After I put my suitcase under the bed, and grab Starbuck, I follow them both out, where they're already dressed in their coats, boots, gloves and hats.

I tug on my winter gear.

"Wolfe, why don't you leave Starbuck here so he doesn't get wet in the snow." Rose suggests, gently

I frown. "Okay." I hurry back to the bed, open it, tuck him in, before I hurry back to Rose and the Doctor.

"Come along." Laughs the Doctor as he opens the door and we hurry out and back downstairs.

Walking back outside the hotel, its already gotten a lot darker, dusky light mixing with the harsh artificial lights to create a strange glow around everything. The snow is falling more heavily now, and music is still playing everywhere.

"Can you hail a cab for us?" the Doctor asks one of the men standing outside, who is working at the hotel.

"Yes sir." The man replies, going behind a little stand and pressing a button. "Just a moment sir."

"Thank you." The Doctor answers before wandering back over to us.

"So Wolfe! What do you think of New York?" the doctor gestures wildly, with his hands in his pockets, resulting in his long jacket being thrown open as his breath billows in front of his mouth in the cold air.

"I love it!" I grin, "well, so far. We've hardly gone anywhere yet!"

A bright yellow cab pulls up and the man who the Doctor talked to earlier runs up and opens the door for us.

Rose and I pile into the back and the Doctor sits in the passenger seat.

It didn't occur to me until now that the Americans drive on the wrong side of the road.

We start to drive, and I press my nose against the window, my breath fogging it up as I strain to see the tops of the buildings we're driving by.

There's lots of traffic and people and it seems like the city streets are bursting with excitement.

We slow to a stop and pull off the road. Rose and I scramble out of the car as the Doctor pays for our ride.

"Here we are! Radio city music hall!" The Doctor crows as we see the neon sign, wrapped around the large building. "We'll be here tomorrow! Going to see the classic Rockettes!" He informs us

"Oh that'll be brilliant Doctor! Let's go see the tree!" Rose urges him, as she starts down the block.

"Coming." The Doctor grins, taking his hands out of my pockets and breathing on them to keep them warm.

"I guess Timelords can't regulate their hands?" I tease him

"They're a bit harder and its cold out!" Defends the Doctor

"Oh Doctor. I told you to wear gloves." Sighs Rose "Here I have an idea."

She tugs off her left glove and hands it to the Doctor.

"Rose I don't want to take your glove-"

"Just do it!"

He takes her glove and puts it on his left hand.

"Now hold my hand." Rose orders, holding out her ungloved hand.

He takes it in his bare hand.

Rose uses her gloved hand to tug the Doctor's jacket towards her and shoves their joined hands into his jacket pocket.

"Now we both are warm and have one usable hand." Rose informs him, proudly.

"Huh." The Doctor says, looking impressed, as we start down the street again "Where'd you learn that?"

"My Granddad. I used to forget gloves all the time as a girl and that's what he'd do to keep me warm." She smiles at him, before offering me her gloved hand.

"Come on, we're almost there."

We walk further down the street, before a turn comes into view, leading down a stone walkway between the buildings, revealing a huge colorful Christmas tree proudly standing on its pedestal.

"Its beautiful!" I gasp, looking up at it in awe.

"Rose, let me take a picture of you and Wolfe!" The Doctor says, digging into his coat pocket and producing a camera.

Rose and I pose in front of the tree, with matching grins.

"Your turn Doctor!"

The Doctor lifts me onto his back for the photo.

"Do you want me to take a picture of all of you?" A short, grey haired woman asks, walking over from where she was standing with her family.  
"Would you?" asks Rose, grateful as she hands her camera over.

"No problem." The woman says, taking the camera as Rose hurries over to the Doctor and I. He holds me on his hip between him and Rose.

We grin brightly, and when she finishes she walks over, and hands Rose back her camera

"Merry Christmas!" Wishes the woman

"Thank you, Happy Christmas!" Rose calls back.

The Doctor and I turn back to the tree, looking at it as its lights change, reflecting off the snow on its branches.

"Doctor what's that?" I ask, as something to the side of the tree catches my eye.

"Ice skating. I guessed that after a couple pictures and gazing the tree would get boring pretty quickly, so I figured we could ice skate too. Have you ever been ice skating?"

"Yes! It was my favorite winter sport requirement. When I was…living…at Torchwood they made a mandatory physical requirement for me during each season. Ice skating was winter!" I giggle

"Alright then! Why don't we get going?"

"Get going where?" Rose interrupts, having returned to us

"Ice skating down there." The Doctor points at the ice skating rink

"I've never been very good at ice skating." Warns Rose

"I'll help you." Answers the Doctor, calmly "Come on!"

We hurry down to the rink, rent ice skates, and get out onto the ice. Luckily its not too crowded. I forgot how lovely it was to feel the slide of the ice under the blades again. I quickly start speeding up, spinning to skate backwards, the forwards again, pirouetting and jumping, laughing all the while. I start running through a routine I put together years ago, involving multiple jumps and spins.

I have to be careful of the other skaters, so I slow to a more leisurely pace quickly. I look back to Rose and the Doctor after a moment.

Rose is holding onto the Doctor's shoulders for what looks like dear life, and the Doctor is supporting her by clutching her upper arms, talking to her, probably trying to give her advice.

He starts skating backwards, dragging her along with him. After a couple of moments, her grip loosens slightly on him. She slowly starts to push herself forward, awkwardly on the ice, her arms sliding down to take his one gloved and one ungloved hands. They weave through the people, and soon her nervous expression changes to a grin.

Then she skids slightly, and falls towards the Doctor, who catches her, sets her back on her feet, and helps her start moving again.

I skate around the outer ring of the rink, going as fast as I can without hitting anyone.

Looking up for a moment, I admire the way you can still see the trees, and the towering buildings. I open my mouth, and try to catch a couple of snowflakes.

By now the only way to see the rink is by the lights lining it, and the glow of the tree and surrounding buildings.

I skate back over to Rose and the Doctor, who seem to have found their balance.

Rose is clutching one of his hands in hers, and skating beside him, the Doctor quietly leading the two of them.

"Hey Wolfe, are you having fun?" pants Rose, as she glides forward.

"Yes. I haven't been ice skating in what feels like forever." I answer, grinning.

"We've been here nearly half an hour and we have reservations we need to get to. How does five more minutes sound?" the Doctor asks

"Okay. Where are we going to eat?"

"An Italian place not too far away. Then I have a surprise for us after dinner. Two surprises actually."

"Oh really?" Rose looks up at him in surprise. "When did you have time to do all of this planning?"

"While you two were taking forever to pack, I was doing something productive." Teases the Doctor.

Rose simply rolls her eyes at me, not going to reply.

"Before we go I want to try skating without holding onto you." She says, tugging her arm away from the Doctor.

The Doctor nervously skates nearby her "I'll catch you if you fall"

"You better." Chuckles Rose, her arms wobbling as she glides forward.

I follow the two of them in amusement, skating in large figure eights around them.

"This is kind of fun." Rose pants as she looks determinedly at the wall ahead of her.

All of a sudden a loud siren echoes around us, and Rose jumps slightly, arms comically flailing in circles as she attempts to regain her balance, before her feet slide forward, and she starts falling backward.

The Doctor is there a moment later, a half second late to keep her from slipping, so he breaks her fall instead, clutching her as they both fall to the ice.

"Oof." He groans as Rose's back lands on his chest, pressing him into the ice.

"Ow." Whine Rose, laying her head back on the Doctor's chest, both their legs limp.

"You landed on _me_! How are you saying ow? I landed on the ice!" The Doctor snorts

"Well _you_ said you were gonna catch me. This doesn't exactly count!" Rose replies, attempting to get up only to slip back onto him again.

The Doctor grunts again under her replaced weight.

"Wolfe will you help Rose up before she breaks my ribs." The Doctor chuckles

"Oi!" Rose hisses at him as I skate forward and offer her my hands.

She takes them and I help steady her enough to allow her to stand.

The Doctor follows moments later, brushing ice shards from his suit.

"What was that noise?" Rose asks, looking around

"Probably a police officer or fire engine. Common around here." The Doctor informs her "Like London."

Rose nods "The noise is different. This one's harsher."

"Americans need more motivation to get out of the way." Jokes the Doctor.

I laugh

"Alright you two, enough insulting the Americans. We need to go get dinner isn't that right Doctor?"

"Yes Rose, we'll be late soon. Luckily it's only a short cab ride away. Come on."

We carefully skate to the exit and step off the ice, return our skates, and follow the Doctor back past the tree, and to the corner of the block.

The Doctor hails a taxi and we ride down the darkened, snowy streets. In the dark, you can clearly see how well decorated the city is, every tree covered in lights, bright snowflakes on the street lamps and nearly every door decorated with festive holly or wreathes or lamps. Storefronts are filled with lights and faux snow. Men dressed as Santa's are everywhere, some dancing about and taking pictures, while others are trying to raise money.

After about a ten minutes ride, we arrive at a small brick building with a wooden entrance way.

Entering, we are seated quickly. The whole restaurant is warm and glowing with candlelight.

We soon have to peel off our coats, hats and gloves, piling them in the empty seat beside me in the booth.

"Hello my name is Skye and I'll be your server this evening."

A dark brown haired young woman says brightly, her hair in a messy ponytail.

"Hello Skye, do you think right off bat you could get the three of us hot chocolates? We just went ice skating and we're all pretty cold!" the Doctor grins at her and she smiles

"3 hot chocolates coming right up." She turns and hurries off.

"So Doctor what are your surprises?" I ask as we open our menus.

"Not telling." The Doctor laughs

"Doctor." I whine

"No! I want you to have the best Christmas weekend ever! This is day one, and I wont ruin any surprises!" He responds, firmly, before he announces. "I think I am going to have the chicken Parmesan."

"I am totally having the tortellini" Rose responds.

"Me too!" I smile at her.

"3 hot chocolates?" a mustached man says,

I giggle as the hot chocolates the Doctor ordered for us arrive in huge cream mugs, piled with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Carefully, so as not to burn my mouth, take a sip, the cold whipped cream covering my upper lip and the warm chocolate slides down my throat.

"Mm." I sigh, both Rose and the Doctor doing the same with their hot chocolates.

"Wolfe you have…" Rose indicates to her upper lip, and I lick it the way a dog would, before saying

"You do too."

Both Rose and the Doctor lick the whipped cream off too.

"Are you ready to order?" Skye returns, her notepad out

"Yes. Can we have two orders of the tortellini, and one order of the chicken Parmesan?" Rose orders as she collects our menus and hands them to Skye.

"Anything else?" Skye responds, having finished scribbling down our order

"No thank you!" I chirp and she smiles down at me for a moment before hurrying away

"So, I was thinking Doctor, if we're going to make this a proper Christmas we ought to get presents for each other." Rose suggests. "Why don't we go out in pairs tomorrow. Each pair has one hour to wander around and find presents for the other one. Wolfe and I will go first, then Doctor you and Wolfe and finally Doctor you and I will go. What do you think?" Rose suggests

"I think it sounds like a great idea!" The Doctor smiles "We have a bit of downtime tomorrow afternoon and we can go shopping."

Our food comes about ten minutes later and we dig in with glee.


	60. Chapter 60

_Our food comes about ten minutes later and we dig in with glee._

"Tell us."

"No!"

"Tell us!"

"No!"

Rose pouts as the Doctor turns her down again. Now we're walking along the street, following the Doctor as he takes us to our first surprise.

Its very cold out, and we've already walked several blocks.

"Are we almost there at least?" I beg, my legs completely numb.

"Yes. We're almost there Wolfe. Are you feeling okay?" The Doctor glances over his shoulder.

"I'm cold."

"Well, the surprise will warm you right up." Promises the Doctor.

"It better! I'm freezing too!" Rose laughs.

"Here we are!"

We stop, a bright sign in a store reading ' _Serendipity_ '.

"This is one of the most famous dessert places in New York City, according to multiple websites." The Doctor announces as he hurries to the door and opens it for us.

I giggle excitedly at the sugary sweet smell in the air.

We are seated by a blonde hostess.  
"Okay this place looks fantastic!'" Rose grins, looking around at the many other people filling the room, huge and lavish desserts covering the tables.

"Thank you!" The Doctor replies, puffing his chest out slightly.

"So what do you want to get?" I ask, already burying my head inside the menu, skipping past the food and looking only at the dessert section.

"I think we should order one dessert for the three of us and then split it." Rose suggests, "We have cookies at home too."

"Alright." Nods the Doctor "as long as it's the 'outrageous banana split'."

"It's a little cold for ice cream!" laughs Rose

"I know...but…this is the most famous sundae place in New York so…." The Doctor looks at her, eyes begging

"Alright." Rose nods, "Wolfe, what do you think?"

"I think that sounds brilliant!" I laugh, "Who doesn't like a Banana split?"

"Okay, so one banana split." The Doctor grins

"Sounds good." Nods Rose

"Hello and welcome to Serendipity. My name is Tony and I'll be your server tonight." A brown haired man with a wide smile appears beside of us

"Hello!" Rose answers

"So are folks here for the food or dessert?"

"Dessert!" We chorus.

"Aright then what would you like?"

"The Outrageous Banana Split!" The Doctor announces, handing Tony our menus.

"Good choice! Coming right up!" Tony smiles, before walking away.

"So I was thinking that on Christmas night we ought to watch a Christmas movie. Tonight we're busy with another surprise, tomorrow we're going to see a Broadway play, so Christmas night would be the best time." The Doctor says, "What movie would you want to watch. We could make a list and narrow it down."

"I've seen _The Grinch That Stole Christmas_." I offer, "I love that one."

"How about _Rudolph_ , or _A Christmas Carol_ , or _Love Actually_ …"

"Or _It's a Wonderful Life._ " The Doctor adds, "That's a classic."

"I've heard about _Miracle on 34th Street,_ and _The Nightmare Before Christmas._ " I suggest again

"Wait wait, wait. Let me write this down." The Doctor pulls a notepad and pen from his coat pockets, and hurriedly scribbles the movie list down.

"Okay, so what movie do you not want to watch?" Rose asks us

"I've never liked _The Grinch_ or _Rudolph_." Rose wrinkles her nose "They're too sad."

"Okay then." The Doctor crosses them off the list

"I'd actually rather watch a movie I haven't seen before, so I would rather not watch _It's A Wonderful Life,_ or _Miracle on 34th Street._ " I explain, and the Doctor nods, crossing them off.

"What about you Doctor?" Rose looks at him "What two movies do you want to eliminate?"

"Oh, I like them all." Whines the Doctor, looking down at the list

"You have to choose!" I laugh

"Fine. I'm not super fond of the _Nightmare Before Christmas_." The Doctor says,  
"What's your other one?" Rose urges

"I don't know. I love a Christmas Carol, but I've also never seen Love Actually…"

"Me too." I agree.

"…We could watch both?" Rose suggests "Maybe one earlier in the day, say we'll watch _A Christmas Carol_ in the late morning and we'll watch _Love Actually_ at night?"

"Sounds good to me. Wolfe?"

"Brilliant!" I grin

"Your sundae?" Tony has returned, his arms laden with our huge sundae.

"Oh my god!" Gasps Rose as he places them on the table.

The banana split is in an oblong glass bowl, on top of a plate, because ice cream, caramel, fudge and whipped cream are dripping over the sides of the bowl. At least three bananas, mounds of vanilla ice cream, three mountains of whipped cream, a handful of maraschino cherries, fudge and caramel are part of the outrageous sundae.

"I think we've ordered more than we can eat." I giggle, picking up the spoon Tony handed me before he left.

"Let's all try the first bite together." Rose says

The Doctor, smiling, picks up his spoon.

"One…" Rose picks up her spoon

"Two…" I giggle, poised to take a big chunk out of the sundae

"Three!" The Doctor gasps, plunging his spoon into the sugary melting mess.

I follow quickly and moments later, a painfully delicious and sweet mouthful of the split sinks across my taste buds.

"Okay this is worth the trip and being cold later." Rose mumbles around her bite.

The Doctor says nothing, looking extremely happy and pleased with himself. I swallow and immediately go for another bite.

"So, you two, what is one of the most famous buildings in New York City?" The Doctor asks as we sit back, finally having our fill of the banana split.

"The Empire State Building?" I suggest, looking over at him in surprise.

"Correct." Smiles the Doctor "Do you want to go look at the city from the top of it?"

Rose gasps, "Is that your other surprise?"

The Doctor nods "I figured we couldn't come here and not go to the top of the Empire State Building! We need to get going soon in order to make it for the next shift."

"That is going to be brilliant!" I laugh as Rose flags down Tony

"Would you like anything else?"

"Just the check please." Rose answers, and Tony hurries off, and returns moments later, and hands us our check. We pay, and hurry out into the very chilly night.

"Its cold." Murmurs Rose as she pulls on one glove, handing the other to the Doctor, and taking his bare hand in hers like they did earlier.

"Okay, so we can take the subway to the Empire State Building. Lexington Avenue Station is only a few blocks from here, shouldn't take more than five to get there, how does that sound?"

"Fantastic." Rose agrees, and the Doctor takes my hand with his gloved hand and we walk through the snowy sidewalk.

"What's that?" I ask as a huge, light up sign reading Dylan's Candy Bar appears as we get to the end of the block.

"It's a huge candy store. We could go in if you'd like." The Doctor offers, giving me a childishly gleeful sideways glance.

"We just had Ice cream!" laughs Rose "We'll come back another time."

She urges us across the street, and soon we arrive at the subway terminal.

We hurry through the small crowds of people to get to our train. I grip the Doctor's hand a little tighter, suddenly uncomfortable at the amount of people.

He smiles down at me, and we hurry to our train and sit in the hard, blue, plastic chairs. Rose and the Doctor sit on either side of me, while I sit on my knees, looking out the window as the cars start moving, at first jolting and slow, and soon racing along underground. Dim lights illuminate the graffiti on the walls we race by as they change from brick to stone to concrete and back again, before we slow to a stop at another station.

"Two more stops." the Doctor informs us as people flood in and out of the car.

"How much longer is that?" Rose asks

"Five to ten minutes." Answers the Doctor

The doors shut and we continue to rocket through the tunnel, before stopping and starting again.

"Here we go." The Doctor says, standing and walking towards the doors, despite the fact we haven't stopped yet.

Rose and I follow. I clutch her hand, not steady on the bumpy ride.

We slow down, in a very jolting manner and Rose stumbles into the Doctor slightly.

"Sorry" she apologizes quickly

"Don't worry, its fine." The Doctor says, chuckling slightly, before taking her ungloved hand in his and putting it in his pocket again.

"Wolfe." Rose calls, holding her other hand out for me as the doors open and we walk back out into the harsh light of the station, before climbing the three flights of stairs back into the cold, dark night.

The buildings tower over us as we walk down a few blocks before the huge and lit up Empire State Building appears.

"Wow." Sighs Rose, as we all crane our heads back to look up at it. Silhouetted by the night sky, and lit up on greens and reds at the top, the building towers over every other building majestically.

"Come on, let's go!" The Doctor urges us forward, out of the cold and into the building.

The lobby alone is magnificent and lavish. Many tourists fill the room, along with uniformed staff.

The Doctor tugs us to the nearest staff member and uses his free hand and tugs his psychic paper from his pocket, showing the man.

"Hello there. I'm Mr. Smith. You're expecting my family and I?" The Doctor says sounding very noble.

"Yes, sir." The man says, as soon as he sees whatever's on the psychic paper. "Please follow me, sir."

He leads us to the elevators, ahead of the crowds, and herds us into an elevator.

We race up, and my stomach feels slightly disconnected from my body as we go higher and higher.

"Would you like to have a look from the lower view before taking the elevator to the highest or no?" The man asks us as the elevator slows to a stop.  
"Let's go straight to the top!" Rose answers excitedly.

"Yes Ma'am." The man responds as the doors open.

I can catch glimpses of the lit up city skyline as he leads us to a much older, man-operated elevator. We enter the smaller elevator where another uniformed man stands, operating the elevator. It has a gate that is pulled across the inside of the doors. We continue upwards much slower this time, until we stop with a jolt. The man slides back the gate as the doors open. We hurry out, and through a glass door, onto the very cold deck. The wind stings my face as we look out over the city.

I strain to see over the barrier, not quite tall enough for a good look.

The Doctor silently scoops me up and holds me on his hip and I can suddenly see miles and miles of buildings across the island.

"It looks like the stars when we're flying around in the Tardis." I whisper to him and he nods, gazing about.

Rose snuggles closer to him on his other side as another cold gust blows past us.

"Beautiful." She sighs

The clouds from the latest snow have begin to part, making the city lights seem like reflections of the stars.

Another gust rips by us and I tuck my head onto the Doctor's shoulder, trying to hide from the wind.

"Happy Christmas." The Doctor whispers to us, almost inaudibly.

"Happy Christmas." Rose and I whisper back, smiling at him as our eyes continue to take in the vast expanse of artificial starlight.

"Come on Wolfe, time to wake up, we're back." Whispers Rose as she gently shakes my shoulder.

I open my eyes slowly, yawning.

"Here, Rose, I'll take her." The Doctor's soft voice says and I feel myself being scooped into the Doctor's arms.

"We haven't slept in a while. The last time she slept was the night before we went bike riding in Barcelona. The Doctor adds as he adjusts me against his chest and starts walking.

"That's true and that has to be at least 15 hours ago." Rose agrees as the elevator starts moving.

"I wanna read Harry Potter. You promised we would finish book six soon."

"Okay but only two chapters, deal?" The Doctor says as we walk down the hall to our room "You need to get some sleep."

"Okay." I nod and we walk over to the bedroom, and after getting in our pajamas, snuggle up together, with _Harry Potter and the half blood prince_

"Ready?" The Doctor asks as he opens the book

"Ready." Rose and I chorus, and he begins to read.


	61. Chapter 61

_"_ _Ready?" The Doctor asks as he opens the book_ _"Ready." Rose and I chorus, and he begins to read._

"Have a holly jolly Christmas! It's the best time of the year. I don't know if they'll be snow but have a cup of cheer. Have a holly jolly Christmas and when you walk down the street, say hello to friends you know and everyone you meet!" I wake to the sound of the Doctor's voice singing happily next to me.

I open my eyes, grinning "Ho, ho the mistletoe…" I continue

"Hung where you can't see! Somebody waits for you kiss her once for me!" we chorus and he laughs, before pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"Come on." He helps me out of bed "Breakfast is muffins with either butter or jam. Rose decided to keep it simple because we have to leave soon." He says as we walk into the main room, where Rose already dressed and ready, eating a muffin at the table.

I climb into the chair beside her.

"Morning Rose."

"Morning! How did you sleep?" She asks as she places a plain muffin on my plate.

"Really well." I yawn, as if to prove my point.

"Good. We wanted to let you sleep as long as possible." Rose nods "Butter or jam?" The Doctor offers

"Jam." I giggle, and he hands it to me.

"So we're going to see the Rockettes today, right?" Rose asks as she leans over and helps me spread the jam on my muffin.

"Yes. We have to be there in an hour so eat and then get dressed quickly, Wolfe." The Doctor answers

"Okay. What are we doing after that?"

"Well, we'll find a quick place to have lunch, then since tomorrow is Christmas day, and it wouldn't be without presents, we'll go shopping for each other. We talked about this yesterday didn't we?" The Doctor reminds me

"Right, yes. Rose and I, then you and I and then you and Rose." I reiterate, nodding. "What will the other person do while waiting for the others?"

"Well, why don't they warm up in a central café or something until the others return?" Rose suggests

"Sounds good." Agrees the Doctor "Wolfe, when you're done get dressed and then we'll take a cab over. I'll call the lobby and ask them to get a cab waiting for us."

"Okay." I nod, finishing my muffin.

"Are you excited?" The Doctor asks as we walk into the huge building, all decorated for Christmas.

"Yes!" I gasp, and I jump slightly from where I was holding Rose and the Doctor's hands.

"Do you want some cotton candy or something?" The Doctor offers as we walk past the concession stands.

"Doctor!" Rose scolds "Its hardly ten in the morning!"

"Come on Rose, its Christmas eve." Begs the Doctor, laughing slightly

"Fine. As long as you get enough to share." Rose answers, and the Doctor lets go of my hand to bound to the concession stand and quickly orders three waters, two bags of cotton candy, a small bag of popcorn, and six medium sized cups before hurrying back to us with a childishly bright smile on his face.

"Let's go find our seats." He urges us, handing the bag of popcorn and waters to Rose, so he can hold my hand again.

We hurry up the stairs and into the main theatre. The room is huge, and already filled with people milling about. We head down one of the main aisles, and down to five rows behind the stage. Then we walk down the row until we reach the center.

"Wolfe why don't you sit between the Doctor and I?" suggests Rose, as the Doctor sits down in the furthest right of our three seats.

"Okay." I sit next to the Doctor and Rose sits next to me.

The Doctor immediately sets to divvying up the popcorn and cotton candy into the cups for us.

He hands me the blue colored cotton candy, billowing out of my cup like a cloud, and a cup overflowing with popcorn before doing the same with Rose.

"There we are." He grins brightly at us.

Rose opens one of the brightly colored programs, scanning it quietly while we wait for the show to start.

The Doctor's already eaten a substantial amount of his popcorn and cotton candy.

"Doctor don't finish it all before the show starts!" I warn him

He pouts for a second. "I suppose that would be unfortunate."

Suddenly the lights dim, and the loud murmur of people lowers as the curtains open to reveal a screen.

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Rockefeller center Christmas spectacular!" A loud voice booms

I take the Doctor's hand in excitement as the screen lights up, showing the long history of the show we're going to watch.

"That was amazing! They were so precise! Did you see their legs? They moved at the same time!" I gasp as we walk out of the theatre, still accidentally dragging some of the streamers thrown during the finale.

"They must practice all of the time. That was really impressive." Rose agrees.

"Which song was your favorite?" The Doctor asks as we hurry down the street.

"Definitely the toy soldiers!" Rose says, immediately

"Oh I loved the Christmas in New York thing." I add, picturing the women in their costumes riding the bus

"Mine was the 12 days of Christmas." The Doctor adds "I always found that impressive."

I smile at Rose and the Doctor, holding both my hands,

"Doctor you're still wearing the 3D glasses…" I laugh

"I like them. Don't you?" he grins at me

"You look crazy Doctor. You can keep them but don't wear them here." Rose laughs and he takes them off, putting them in his coat pocket.

"Okay, so I was thinking we should start shopping soon. I know of this great little deli where we could make a home base, and have a little lunch before we go out in our pairs. Its only about five smaller blocks down from here."

"Okay." Agrees Rose, while I turn to look up at the doctor.

"Could I ride on your back?"

"Of course."

He bends down and I scramble onto his back.

"Let's go." He says, and we start down the street at a quick pace.

I study the people we walk past as we walk block after block. I count four Santa's, seven people who are _not_ dressed for the weather, and countless tourists.

"Here we are!" The Doctor announces, as we arrive at a tiny little deli with a red awning. "This is Carnegie Hall deli."

We walk in and a surprising combination of aromas surrounds us. We get in line quickly, and scan the menu for something to eat.

"I think I am going to have a turkey and cheddar sandwich. With water." Rose tells the Doctor "You order for me, I'll select a table."

She wanders further into the deli, looking for a table.

"What about you Wolfe?"

"I am going to have a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich with a hint of pesto." I answer, practically drooling "That's my favorite sandwich."

"Never heard of that one, but you know what? I'll give it a try too." He smiles down at me "You go sit with Rose. I'll order for you." He says, and I give him a quick hug before hurrying over to find Rose, who had made herself comfortable in a booth in the backmost corner of the shop.

"Wolfe, by the way, I brought _Harry Potter_ with us so we could take turns reading the next chapter when we're here alone. I brought three different bookmarks so we know where the other two are in the book."

"Good idea." I grin "So what are you thinking of getting the Doctor?"

"I don't know." She sighs, "He has everything anyone could ever want."

"Well, I think what will make it special is the fact you took the time to buy it for him so it doesn't have to be something he doesn't have."

"That makes sense." Rose nods "Now I have so many more options!" she laughs

"So what are you thinking. We should discuss this so we don't buy him the same thing. I was thinking a bow tie. He hates wearing tuxes but I thought if I bought him a really nice, James Bond like bowtie he might not hate it as much."

"That sounds like a great idea! I am thinking of getting him-"

"Are you talking about me?"

The Doctor grins as he walks over

"Oi! Don't eavesdrop!" Rose hisses as he slides in next to her.

"The food will be here any minute." The Doctor informs us, ignoring Rose's comment.

"So good places to shop around here would be Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Columbus Circle." The Doctor announces as a kind looking woman with short brown hair comes over, arms laden with our food.

She hands us our three sandwiches and three waters.

"Thank you!" Rose smiles at her and the woman grunts "No problem." Before she returns to her spot behind the counter

We dig in immediately, and after a couple of bites, Rose says "So why don't we make a mini Christmas list? Put a couple things on it so the other two know what to get."

"No that's no fun! Surprises are so much better! I have no idea what you're getting me and I want it to stay that way!"

"I agree with the Doctor!" I laugh

A glances passes between Rose and the Doctor for a second, and then it's gone.

"Wolfe, you're right about this sandwich. Its amazing." The Doctor says to me

"It is amazing right? The sweet and salty combination is perfect." I take another bite

"So Doctor, I figured while we were waiting for the pairs to return, the lone person could read the rest of Harry Potter book six. What do you think?"

"Sounds brilliant. Maybe tonight we'll start book seven." The Doctor agrees.

After about ten more minutes we've finished our sandwiches and cleared our plates.

"So Doctor, stay here and only call if you really need us alright?" Rose says as she takes my hand, leaving the Doctor in the booth.

"I'll be fine. I'm 900 years old I can survive without the two of you for an hour." He laughs. "Have fun."

Rose and I hurry out of the deli and quickly hail a cab, and start our shipping spree, bouncing around Times Square, Columbus Circle, Rockefeller Center and any store that caught our eye while driving around.

Rose and I walk into store after store. Soon we have so many fun things, our arms are weighed down by the sheer amount of bags.

"Wolfe, we should get back to the Doctor. It's been nearly an hour. How much did we buy?" laughs Rose, as we try to fit all of our bags and ourselves into the cab.

"I think I got him four or five things. You?" I ask as I shut the door behind us.

"Something like that." Rose agrees as we drive back to the deli.

We look crazy as we walk back into the deli and towards the Doctor, whose mouth drops open.

"Did you raid the stores? He asks as he helps us place our bags in the empty booth across from him.

"No!" Laughs Rose. "Come on, it's your turn. I'm going to take this stuff back to the hotel while you're gone."

The Doctor takes my hand, and we get into the cab waiting outside, and I repeat the same thing we did with Rose, running from store to store. The only difference is the Doctor is highly agitated about it.

"Do you think she wants the pink or not so pink one? Do you think this is too much? Will this break?"

"Doctor!" I sigh for the umpteenth time "If it's from you, she'll love it."

"Okay." He frowns nervously.

"Come on. We need to get back to the deli. We've been gone over an hour." I urge him, and we return to the cab and get back to the deli.

"Leave the stuff in the car Wolfe, Rose and I'll return it to the hotel on our way shopping." The Doctor tells me as I give him an awkward hug before getting out of the cab, running into the deli.

"Have fun?" Rose asks as I stand next to her

"Yes. The Doctor was super anxious though so you better like whatever he got you."

She snorts and gets up.

"You know not to move until we get back. Be safe." She warns, looking slightly nervous.

"I'll be fine." I give her a hug before sliding into the booth and picking up my book. "Have fun!"

She turns and leaves.

I open the book and begin reading.

"Ready to go Wolfe?" I look up from where I was glued to the pages of the book.

Rose and the Doctor stand there, grinning madly

"One second I just…"

My eyes fall back to the page, and I gasp as I shut the book, finished just in time.

"I'm so sad…" I murmur, thinking of the book.

"I know, super sad ending but hey! We get to go back to the hotel and have a little fun now, just us! I was thinking a Christmas movie, maybe some music, then we're going to go see a surprise and after start the seventh book. What d'ya think?" The Doctor offers, scooping me up, while Rose takes the book.

"Sounds great!" I grin and we walk back to the cab and drive back to the hotel.


	62. Chapter 62

_"Sounds great!" I grin and we walk back to the cab and drive back to the hotel._

"Alright Wolfe, you can open your eyes in three…"

The Doctor starts as he leads me; eyes squeezed shut, down the street. After we ate dinner he said he promised he had a brilliant surprise, and I trust him as hear Rose's giggle.

"Two…"

He walks me a little further.

"Now."

I open my eyes, and my eyes immediately find a huge, blue sign reading _Matilda the Musical_. I squeal, my gloved hands flying to my mouth, before I turn around and hug the Doctor, grinning unabashedly

"That is fantastic! Are we going to see it?"

"That's why we're here!" Laughs Rose

"Thank you so much!" I gasp as the Doctor scoops me up and holds me on his hip while we walk in the doors of the theatre.

People are bustling about, and people selling Matilda Memorabilia are everywhere.

"Hold on, let's get Wolfe one of these!" The Doctor holds up a huge, glossy playbook, which has backstories and all other types of trivia fun facts in it.

He quickly pays for it and then we walk further into the theatre.

I clutch it tightly, gazing about as we walk into the main theatre.

The blue/black light illuminates the blocks of letters and books, which seem to explode out from the border of the stage, on the sidewalls of the room. Seven blocks spelling MATILDA are suspended center stage and the back wall of the stage is covered in books.

The theatre is positively magical and filled with energy as everyone pours in the doors.

We walk to our seats, very similar to our seats at the Rockettes earlier, and sit in excitement.

"Would you like a Jelly Baby?" the Doctor offers Rose and I a bag filled with jelly babies. "They're my personal favorite." He adds

"Doctor! We aren't supposed to bring food in here!" I hiss, but I take a couple of jelly babies anyway. "Where did you get all of this?"

"Stopped by a candy shop while out looking for gifts." He explains as Rose takes a small handful.

"Of course you did." She mutters, chuckling,

With a loud sound of drumbeats, the lights flash, and the overture begins.

Eyes wide with excitement, I reach over and steal another jelly baby.

"That was Brilliant!" I giggle as we leave the theatre. "my favorite song was revolting children! I cried at the part about Miss Honey's parents. I thought the girl who played Matilda had such a good voice!"

"I agree!" Laughs Rose "But my favorite song was the one about growing up. The harmonies were pretty and I totally remember feeling that way when I was a kid."

"I thought the teacher-"

"Ms. Trunchbull" I add

"Ms. Trunchbull was hilarious." The Doctor finishes, grinning at me, shifting my weight on his hip.

"That was so fantastic. I can't believe I just watched it!" I giggle again.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. This holiday weekend is all about you and since tomorrow is both our last day and Christmas day, Rose and I thought we needed to make Christmas Eve super special. Which is why we still have more things to do."

"Like what?" I gasp, unable to imagine anything better than today.

"Well, while you and Rose were out shopping I worked with a couple of men from the hotel to have a surprise ready for us when we get back."

The Doctor explains as we get into a cab.

"What?" I demand.

"Well, since it is your first real Christmas, when we get back, we're going to decorate our hotel room. I got us a tree and everything." The Doctor announces as we start heading back to the hotel

"Doctor that's brilliant!" I laugh aloud,

"Thank you!" he smiles at me

"Oi! Who came up with the idea! Might I add, it took quite a bit of convincing for me to get him to do this!" Rose announces, and the Doctor looks slightly sheepish.

"I can't wait to get started." I say, brightly.

"Doctor will you help me hang this up?" Rose calls from where she's trying to hang a wreath above the fireplace.

"Sure." The Doctor hurries over to her from where he'd been helping me put ornaments on our tree. Instead of taking it from her, and hanging it up, he kneels beside her, putting one knee up, and offering his hand.

She laughs and takes his hand, as he helps her onto his knee, using it as a small stepstool. She carefully hangs the wreath up, while he spots her in case she falls.

I giggle as I watch them, before turning back to the tree, where I'm just about finished with the box of ornaments.

"What do you think?" Rose asks as she hops down from the Doctor's knee.

"Brilliant." He says, looking at her

"Thank you." She answers, looking at the wreath.

We're decorating in our pajamas, and socks because it's a little chilly.

"Doctor I think the tree is done." I call, steeping back to look at it in pride.

"Looks great Wolfe!" Rose says, walking over.

"It needs a topper." I add, frowning up at the top of the tree.

"I have an idea!" The Doctor grins, gets up and runs out of the hotel room.

"Why does he do that?" Sighs Rose, exasperated.

"I don't know. Why don't we start cleaning up while we wait for him to come back?" I suggest.

"Good idea. I'm getting a little tired. Its nearly nine too." Rose agrees, glancing at the clock.

We start picking up all the scraps of holly and pine, along with broken ornaments and ribbon.

Just when we finish, the Doctor comes flying back into the room, one hand behind his back.

"I have a surprise for you!" He grins, before pulling a tiny Tardis out from behind his back, and handing it to me.

"It's a Tree Topper."

"You ran back to the Tardis for a tree topper?" Laughs Rose

"Yes!" he answers, confused as to why she finds it ridiculous.

"Doctor I want to put it on the tree!"

"Okay, Rose help her onto my shoulders." The Doctor bends down immediately.

Rose lifts me up and places me seated on the Doctor's shoulders.

"Okay, I'm going to hold onto you and you put the topper on, ready?" The Doctor asks as he reaches up and holds onto my legs.

"Ready!" I grin, and he slowly stands to his full height, leaving me towering over the floor.

He walks over to the tree and I reach up, placing our shiny mini Tardis onto the top.

"Did it!" I laugh as the Doctor steps back, kneels down and I get off of his shoulders.

"There we go! All done!" He grins, looking between Rose and I like a child.

"I've worked up an appetite. I was thinking in honor of Santa Clause we should have some cookies and milk!" Rose grins and I nod, eagerly as she hurries to the kitchen to get the Christmas cookies.

"Who wants to do Christmas music karaoke?" The Doctor suggests, as we finish the last bites of our cookies.

"I do!" Rose laughs, jumping up. "Doctor you have to help me with this first one. Its one of my favorites!"

"Of course." The Doctor agrees.

"Baby its cold outside!" Laughs Rose as she grabs a whisk and a wooden spoon from the kitchenette and hands the spoon to the Doctor as he turns on the song.

"I really can't stay" She starts, walking away from the Doctor

"Baby, it's cold outside" The Doctor grabs her hand and tugs her back

"I've got to go way"

"Baby, it's cold outside"

"The evening has been-" She pulls away from him again

"I've been hopin' that you'd drop in" He sings, following her

"So very nice" she finishes

"I'll hold your hand, they're just like ice" he takes her hand again and she tugs away

"My mother will start to worry…"

I laugh aloud as they continue the song, dancing playfully around each other as they sing.

When the song finishes, we're all laughing.

"Your turn." Rose hands me the whisk.

I whisper my song to the Doctor, who turns it on. It just occurred to me Rose and the Doctor have never heard me sing.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need. Don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree, I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace. Santa Clause wont make me happy with a toy on Christmas day. I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know, make my wish come true! All I want for Christmas is you! You, Baby!"

I sing as I dance. Rose and the Doctor stare at me in shock, and then laughter as I sing and dance to one of my favorite Christmas songs. I finish the song with a dramatic spin.

Rose and the Doctor clap and laugh.

"I never knew you could sing!" Gasps Rose as I take a bow.

Shrugging, I answer, "I never thought about it."

"That's brilliant." The Doctor laughs "My turn!"

He gets up and preforms "Santa Clause is Coming to Town".

All the while Rose and I clap, laughing.

"Alright you two. Let's read a little Harry Potter and get to bed! We have an exciting day tomorrow!" The Doctor scoops me up, grabs Rose's hand and tugs us back to the bedroom.

We all snuggle into bed, and start book seven as snow starts to fall again.


	63. Chapter 63

_We all snuggle into bed, and start book seven as snow starts to fall again._

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

I awake to a loud chorus of shrieks and jump awake to see very eager Rose and the Doctor standing on either side of the bed.

"Merry Christmas!" I respond, wide awake and giddy with excitement. Christmas music is playing in the background and both the Doctor and Rose look like they're ready to explode with excitement

"Okay breakfast then presents or presents then breakfast?" Rose asks me. "The Doctor and I can't agree."

"Together! But I don't want to do the rushing gifts and tearing everything open all at once. I want to enjoy the look on the face of the person I am giving the present to. That's just as much fun. What's for breakfast?" I answer

"Waffles! I think Wolfe has the right idea. We'll take turns giving and receiving presents so that we can enjoy them." The Doctor announces, " _While_ we eat breakfast! I am starving!" Rose adds and the Doctor nods.

I scramble out of bed, and into the main room, where Rose and the Doctor have not only covered the table in waffles and toppings, but also filled the area under our tree with the presents we bought yesterday. Luckily, everyone had made sure the store wrapped the gifts for us. I giggle as we all pile our plates with waffles, whipped cream, bananas and more.

Then, I sit on the floor, in front of the presents, the Doctor and Rose follow, all of us giddy with excitement.

"Okay so who goes first-" Rose barely gets the question when the Doctor, mouth filled with waffle goes

"Me!"  
Rose looks at him, to excited to fully be disapproving

"You're such a child." She sighs

"What's the point of being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes?" The Doctor retorts, before repeating, "I want to go first."

"Alright then." I laugh, "I'll give you my presents first."

I hop up and sift through the gifts to find the four I got for the Doctor.

He swallows another bite of waffle as I place them at his knees.

"Which one should I open first?" He asks, hands hovering over them.

"You pick!" I snort

He grabs the biggest present immediately, and starts ripping off the ribbon and paper.

Moments later he's holding a Disney's complete movie set from Snow White to Frozen.

"This is Brilliant!" he grins, turning the movies over in his hands, one by one, looking through them.

"Open your next one or we'll be here all day!" Rose urges him

"Okay, okay!" He grabs the next box, a very long but thin box.

He rips it open and gasps when he sees the box, a replica of the boxes wands come in from harry potter.

Opening it, he reveals a Harry Potter replica wand

"Wolfe this is fantastic!" He holds it up, pointing it at me "Expelliarmus!" then he points it at the door "Alohamora!"

I laugh "There are still two more presents."

He opens the next two, revealing this 48-hour-hold hair gel I found, and a very handsome black bowtie.

"This is the nicest bowtie I have ever owned!" He puts it on quickly, before hurrying to go see himself in the mirror.

"Looks very James Bond, yeah?" I call to him and he answers

"I'll have a dry martini. Shaken not stirred."

"Doctor get back here. My turn!" Rose yells

The Doctor hurries back, but does not take off his bowtie.

"I want to give you mine." I say to her, handing her the presents I bought.

"Thank you." She grins as she starts to open one.

She gasps as it reveals a pair of ankle high, one inch heeled black boots.

"Said they're good for running around and I figured since that's usually all we do…" I add as she tugs them on, admiring herself, and walking around in them.

"They're really comfortable!" She says, grinning "Thank you!"

"No problem!"

She opens her next gift, a bottle of perfume, which I remembered her saying once that she loved.

"Thank you!" She gasps, spraying a bit on the inside of her wrist.

"Doctor doesn't it smell just lovely?" she holds her wrist out to him

"Smells lovely Rose." He smiles at her, affectionately

Her next present is a pair of silver hoop earrings. Her last present is a silver charm bracelet.

"I picked out charms to remind you of our adventures. See there's a cat for the nuns, a moon for the werewolf, a book for the school, a campfire, a Yin Yang symbol for the parallel universe, an island for Barcelona, and a Christmas present for now. There's still room for more too." I explain as I show her each charm.

"Thank you! It's beautiful!" Rose grins and holds out her wrist "Will you put it on?"

I clip it on and she admires I again on her wrist.  
"I want to give the Doctor my presents!" She says a moment later

"But it's Wolfe's turn!" the Doctor quickly says

"Its okay, I'll go last!" I deflect, eager to see what Rose bought the Doctor.

"Fine!" The Doctor says, quick to open more gifts.

Rose hands him her presents and he rips open the biggest box again, revealing record player

"Rose!" gasps the Doctor

"I thought my punk needed a record player in his Tardis." Rose shrugs "Open the flat package next." She suggest

The Doctor rips it open to reveal three records- _Elvis' Greatest hits part 1 and 2_ , _Ian Dury and the Blockheads-Concerts for the people of Kampuchea_ and _Classic Christmas Carols._

"Rose thank you!" the Doctor is grinning from ear to ear as he looks at his new records.

"You're welcome! Now open the others!" She laughs

He opens a new pair of navy blue converse, and a greyish brown tie, decorated with dark brown circles and blue squares.

"Its the only tie in the whole store that would match your suit!" laughs Rose as he ties it over his bowtie. "You can't wear both, you look daft!"

"I do not!" He answers, adjusting his tie and bow tie importantly.

"Well daft or not I want to see what you got me Doctor!" Rose orders

The Doctor hands her the gifts and she starts opening one immediately.

She pulls a purple wristlet from the layers of tissue paper.

"It's lovely!" Rose gasps, turning it over in her hands, "Thank you!"

"No problem." the Doctor puffs out his chest

"Oi don't look so satisfied with yourself just yet! I still have three more to go and I'd better be impressed."

Rose's next gift is a pillow shaped like a box of chips, which she burst out laughing at, and the third held a shining glass Christmas ornament in the shape of an R.

Rose finally gets to the smallest box, and opens it, her fingers pulling a slender gold chain from the box, dangling at the end was a large, turquoise tear drop shaped faceted stone.

It is stunningly beautiful, and for a moment, silence is heard, before the Doctor clears his throat.

"Well, if you don't like it…I could return it-" Rose tackles him in a hug

"Its absolutely perfect! Put it on me!" She sits up off him just as quickly, holding the necklace.

She holds up her sleep-tousled hair and he clips it on. She runs her fingers over the stone, admiring it again

"Thank you."

"No problem. It looks lovely on you. Goes with your eyes." The Doctor answers, softly and Rose blushes slightly

I say nothing and let the awkward pause hang there for a moment.

"Wolfe it's your turn! Just as well you're going last because Rose and I kind of shopped together for your gifts! So everything is for you from both of us!" The Doctor abruptly says, using his long arms to sweep everything through the piles of ribbon and boxes towards me.

I open the box nearest me, revealing a pair of maroon converse.

"These are brilliant!" I smile as I pull them on.

The next three boxes contain Hermione's wand, a collection of Agatha Christie's best novels, and a box set of all the Harry potter movies.

"Once we finish reading them we'll have to watch them!" The Doctor explains as I squeal with joy.

The next box reveals an oval shaped beautifully decorated gold locket.

When I open it, a clock is on one side and on the other, the picture of Rose, the Doctor and I from the Christmas tree two days ago.

"It's beautiful!" I gasp, before clipping it onto my neck.

"I thought the clock was a nice touch. Rose's idea." The Doctor adds,

"Since you're a little time lady." Rose agrees and I giggle.

"Also, I think you've earned this, time and time again." The Doctor reaches around his neck, and tugs off the black string, which holds his Tardis key.

"Here you go." He drops it in my hand. "Guard it well." He warns

I look down at the unassuming silver key in awe and shock.

"Thank you." I manage to speak around the lump in my throat, before I slide it over my head.

"This one is from the Tardis. Sort of." I look up and the Doctor hands me a long, thin white box.  
"She made it before Barcelona but I didn't have the chance to give it to you and then I figured a Christmas present would be a great way to do it" babbles the Doctor as I open my next present.

My mouth drops open as I see what the simple white box holds.

It's a sonic screwdriver.

Silver, shiny and sleek in its design, almost exactly like the Doctor's, but the light color is purple, and the handle is decorated in Gallifreyan, and just under the light is a gold sun design.

I carefully pull it out of the cushion of cotton it was resting on, and hold its weight in my hand. It feels so right and fits like a glove in my grip.

"What do you think?" Rose asks, grinning

"It's fantastic, absolutely fantastic…brilliant…" I trail off, unable to express my joy over receiving the screwdriver.

"Can I…can I sonic something?" I ask the Doctor, looking up excitedly

He nods, looking very proud "Of course!"

I get up and scramble to the first thing I see- the lock on the door.

Pointing my sonic at it, I press the button on the side and the achingly familiar sonic sound echoes through the room followed by the sound of the door unlocking.

I race to the door, shutting it, before racing back to the Doctor and throwing myself at him in a hug.

"It's perfect! Thank you!" Then I get up and do the same to Rose.

After a moment, I tuck the Sonic into the hairband of my ponytail.

"Thank you so much. This Christmas has been unbelievably perfect." I say to both of them, as we sit in a sea of wrapping paper.

"We're not done yet. Rose and I still have one more present for you." The Doctor says, and Rose looks over at him, an unreadable look on her face.

The Doctor pulls a simple, green, flat package from behind him and hands it to me.

I take it, and open it.

It's the blue folder I saw on Barcelona.

Fingers shaking slightly, I open the folder to reveal creamy paper with dark blue and gold lettering reading:

 _Certificate of Adoption_

 _This is to certify that Tempest Wolfe_

 _Has been formally adopted_

 _Into the Tyler family_

 _By Mother Rose Tyler_

 _And Father Dr. John Tyler_

 _And is entitled to all rights_

 _And privileges as their child_

Tears fill my eyes, blurring the words. My throat is too full of emotion to get a word out, as I look back up at Rose and the Doctor, tears spilling down my cheeks.

I see the Doctor's eyes are misty and Rose's are clearly full of tears.

"All you have to do is sign at the bottom and you're ours." The Doctor says, his voice soft. "If you want."

I nod, now openly sobbing.

Rose wraps her arms around me, holding me close to her.

After a moment, I pull away from Rose and look up at her slightly tearstained face.

"Can I have a pen?" I whisper, voice hoarse with emotion.

Rose nods, happily, handing me one quickly.

I place the sheet on the floor, and sign my name the best I can through my tears.

When I finish, I shut the folder and throw myself into the Doctor's arms, still crying.

He clutches me close to his chest with one arm and with the other, gently strokes my hair.

"You don't have to call us Mum or Dad or anything, unless you want to. We just wanted you to know that you're ours, officially. Our Daughter." The Doctor whispers to me, as Rose comes over and wraps her arms around both of us.

"I love you Dad." I whisper back to him, in an answer.

I feel him press a soft kiss to the top of my head.


	64. Chapter 64

_"_ _I love you Dad." I whisper back to him, in an answer._ _I feel him press a soft kiss to the top of my head._

I shriek with joy as I race down the hillside, icy air stinging my cheeks, and whisking my breath away. I am clinging to the Doctor as tightly as I can as we race down the hillside on our new, green, sled.

Finally we slow down, and to a stop, several hundred meters from the foot of the hill.

After we finished our emotional moment over my official adoption, Rose and the Doctor suggested going sledding across the street in Central park for an hour or two. We quickly bought a sled and have been out here almost an hour.

"Wolfe, how about one more ride, all three of us and then we'll go in? I can't feel my legs!" Rose laughs as the Doctor picks up the sled and we start marching back up the hill.

"Okay Mum." I answer, still relishing my ability to call her what she has always been to me.

She grins even brighter at me when I say that.

Panting as we all reach the top of the hill, Rose says "I want to be in the middle!"

"Then I call front!" I yell

"Aww, but no one likes the back." Pouts the Doctor for a moment

"Come on Doctor." Rose begs, giving him puppy eyes.

"Alright." He caves, nearly instantly.

I climb onto the sled first, my mittens gripping the red rope at the front. Rose climbs on behind me, her legs bend on either side of my body.

Finally the Doctor gets on, his long legs stretched out on either side of the sled.

"I'm going to push off in three…two...one!" The Doctor cries, and suddenly again, we're racing down the hillside, shrieking together.

I quickly notice the ramp-looking patch of snow ahead. Quickly, I try to adjust the course of the sled but we have too much momentum, and hit the ramp dead on. We go soaring into the air, before crashing down onto the snow again, all of us tumbling out of the sled, in all directions, limbs flailing.

I lay, back down in the snow, looking up at the blue sky, for a moment, in shock, before I start howling with laughter.

Rose and the Doctor join in too, before we all heave ourselves out of the snow, grab our sled and start heading back to the hotel.

We trudge through the lobby and into the elevator, very wet and cold.

Rose's teeth are chattering and even the Doctor looks mildly disgruntled.

As soon as we get back to the hotel Rose jumps into the shower.

"I'm going to shower next." I inform the Doctor as we sip our tea, listening to Christmas music.

"Good idea. We can't have you getting sick, especially since I have decided where I want to take you two next." He grins at me.  
"Where?" I demand, excited

"Not telling." He childishly responds, and I pout

"Please?"  
"Nope!" He crows, "It's a surprise."

"Fine." I pout.

"Come on, don't be mad at me. Here, I'll let you have a cookie and we wont tell your Mum, deal?" He looks at me begging, and I can't resist.

"Fine."

"Ha!" He crows, grinning, before hopping up and grabbing Gingerbread man for each of us.

He hands me one and flops down next to me on the couch.

I lean on him, as I nibble on the cookie.

"Have you had fun?" He asks, his exuberant excitement suddenly replaced with calm reflection.

"Yes." I answer "Its been the best weekend of my whole life."

"I'm glad." He whispers, kissing the side of my head.

"Why did you choose her name?"

"Where?"

"On the Adoption certificate. It said John Tyler."

"Oh. We needed a shared name-" he starts, sounding a little embarrassed

"Dad." I interrupt

"Yes?"

"Don't wait too long, yeah?"

I look up at him, and using our clasped hands, deliberately showing him the image of his affectionate gaze on Rose, when she's not looking.

His face turns slightly pink, but says nothing.

"Are you two eating cookies before dinner?" Rose's chastising voice comes from behind us.

I stuff the remainder of my gingerbread into my mouth, and so does the Doctor.

Both of us look like guilty chipmunks.

"No." The Doctor mumbles, gingerbread crumbs spilling out of his mouth as he does.

"You two are going to spoil your dinner." She sighs, before walking over.

"Wolfe, you can get in the shower now."

I hop up, and start towards the bathroom, still chewing my mouthful of cookie.

I turn back to say thank you, when I see Rose, dressed in a thick jumper and leggings, her hair still damp, snuggled next to the Doctor, whose gaze is on me, as if he knows what I am thinking.

I turn away and go to shower.

"Rose are you ready yet?" The Doctor calls into the bedroom, before he looks in the mirror, running his hands through his hair.

He's wearing the tie she bought him.

We're going out to a nice restaurant for Christmas dinner. Rose has been getting ready for the better part of an hour.

The Doctor is in his classic suit, plus his new tie and hair gel.

I am dressed in a maroon turtleneck, a black skirt and leggings, with my new maroon converse and locket. My hair is down, but away from my face with a black headband.

"Coming!" Rose calls, appearing in the doorway, wearing a thick, grey V-neck dress, which comes down to her mid-upper thigh, black leggings, and the black boots I got her for Christmas. The dress clings to her lithe frame, and her brown eyes are accented by just a hint of make up. I notice she's wearing the necklace the Doctor bought her as well as the charm bracelet.

The Doctor's eyes slowly take in her outfit.

"You look lovely. Ready to go?" He asks, no hint of embaressment in complimenting her or admiring her this time- only affection.

"Yes, thank you. I'm famished."

We pull on all of our winter coats, hats and mittens, before we leave for the restaurant.

Arriving fifteen minutes later, we all sit around a table, looking at our menus and discussing what we want to eat.

"Come on you two we should all get the Christmas dinner special! It has Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans…" Rose trails off, but the list of included items goes on and on.

"I think that sounds good." I say to the Doctor

"Brilliant!" the Doctor agrees

We all lay our menus on the table

"So Doctor where do you plan on taking us next for your trip?" Rose asks

"I haven't decided yet." He answers

"Liar! You just told me you weren't going to tell us!" I gasp, indignant

"Doctor!" Rose chastises

"It's a surprise." He says, firmly

"You and your surprises." she sighs

"I can tell you a little about it. Whet your palate?" He offers

"Yes!"

"It's in the future."

"And?"

"…In Britain?"

"Doctor!" We groan again, because he's being as vague as he can possibly be.

"Hello my name is Leo and I'll be your server tonight."

My head snaps around when I hear his voice, because it's the first time I've heard anyone distinctly British here. He's scrawny and pale, with a headful of curly blonde-gold hair and blue eyes.

"Hello!" The Doctor answers

"What would you like? Should I start you off with some drinks." He smiles at us

"Actually we're ready to order. We'll all have the Christmas dinner, and girls? What do you want to drink?"

"Tea!" I say, "Do you have Earl Grey?"

"Yes ma'am." Leo says, scribbling down on his paper.

"I'll have the same. Bit cold outside yeah?" Rose agrees

"I know. Always bitter cold at Christmas. I'm used to it though. Grew up in Scotland!" Leo smiles up at her. "And you sir?" He looks at the Doctor

"Why not, same as well." The Doctor chuckles

"Coming right up!" Leo turns and hurries away.

"So what's the plan tonight? We said Christmas movie right?"

"Yep. I don't think we have time for both though. What do you think of just watching one. Two thirds vote?" The Doctor suggests

" _Love Actually_!" Rose and I chorus immediately, and the Doctor laughs

"Well that settles it. Maybe if we get home early enough, we can read a bit of Harry Potter afterwards before bed."

"Sounds lovely." I nod, excitedly "I'm dying to know what happens. You left it at a cliff hanger last night!"

The Doctor chuckles "I know."

"Your tea?" Leo has returned, with a tray of our tea, and a teakettle, some sugar and a little cream.

"Thank you!" I smile at him, taking my tea

He nods, and after depositing everything on our table, hurries away.

"Oh that was lovely don't you think? I doubt I'm going to be able to move once we get in bed." The Doctor groans as we walk back into the hotel, our stomachs full of the delicious Christmas dinner.

"Well we wont have to move once we get into our pajamas and start watching the movie." Rose says, as we start towards our room.

I start pulling off my sweater and pulling on my pajama top when I hear Rose hiss in frustration in the bathroom.

"Rose you alright?" The Doctor's concerned voice asks

"Zipper's stuck." She sighs

"Do you want some help?" He offers immediately.

I turn around, interested in the situation.

"…Sure." Rose answers, somewhat hesitantly

Wandering towards the bathroom door, I watch as the Doctor gently places his hand on Rose's back and starts to tug her zipper up, and then back down again, unsticking it.

He unzips it down to the small of her back, the back of her lacey cream bra showing, and neither of them saying anything.

"There you are." He says, softly, stepping back, and he attempts to drag his eyes away from her back.

"Thank you." She murmurs, her cheeks pink, though she looks away from him, and doesn't move almost as if she knows what he's doing and doesn't want him to stop.

When he finally manages to tear his gaze from her porcelain skin, he hurries away, his own face rather pale in color.

I avert my gaze and continue dressing myself before either noticed my watchful gaze on their encounter.

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I do.

Ten minutes later, all of us snuggled under the covers, we start our movie, still full of our Christmas meal.

"Mum? Dad?" I whisper to them as the opening scene starts.

"Yes?" They chorus

"I love you"

"I love you too." They whisper back, all awkwardness forgotten.

Not long after, I start to doze, tired from the long day and warmed by the comforting feeling of being cuddled between my parents.


	65. Chapter 65

_Not long after, I start to doze, tired from the long day and warmed by the comforting feeling of being cuddled between my parents._

"Wolfe? Come on Sleeping Beauty we need to go." Urges the Doctor

I open my eyes, still bleary with sleep "What?"

"Rose and I already packed. It's nearly eight. I was going to have us leave around noon, but the Tardis called…" Now I'm wide awake.

"What's wrong? We need to go!" I am scrambling out of bed, frantically. The Doctor places his hand on my shoulder, slowing me down.

"Relax. It's just a Hoix. Unintelligent semi-subterranean creature. Got stuck in a set of warehouses in London. We'll go sort him out, get him back where he belongs. Hoix were doing their routine decade trip to Earth to steal some of your Earth to fix theirs, and got separated. Nothing serious, but we should hurry."

"Okay. We'll eat on the way then?"

"Yep, come on, say goodbye to New York then into the Tardis!"

I follow him out of the bedroom, and the Tardis is parked in the main room. Its all cleaned up and a stab of sadness fills me that our wonderful Christmas weekend is over.

I look out the window, at the bustling city for a moment, before I follow the Doctor onto the Tardis and we take off.

"Alright you two, we have about half an hour, and we need to eat, and Wolfe you need to get dressed. Once we're done dealing with the Hoix, which shouldn't take long, we'll head to my location. Sound good?"

"Brilliant Doctor!" Rose nods "Why don't you and I start on breakfast, while Wolfe gets dressed. What season is it in London where we're going?"  
"Ah, summer, so dress for warmer temperatures!"

"I'll be back in a moment" I say, hurrying to my room, where I quickly change into light grey shorts, a purple tee shirt, white converse and I pull my locket and Tardis key over my head, hiding both under my shirt. Then I tuck my sonic into my short pocket.

I freeze as a vision washes over me. We're in a room of brilliant white. Rose, the Doctor and I are holding onto large handles for dear life, something sucking at us. Rose lets go to pull a lever, and as the Doctor and I scream in agony, she's picked up by the wind, and she sails into the hole in the wall, and disappears forever.

I shake myself, taking deep breaths.

 _Everything will be fine._

I rush back to the console room, only to find it empty so I start wandering through the Tardis, trying to find the kitchen again.

"Doctor you're burning the eggs!"

"You can't burn eggs!"

"They're charred and smoking!"

"They're just…well done!"

I follow the burnt smell of the eggs and their bickering into the kitchen.

"At least I made us pancakes. We'll just eat them instead." Rose sighs

"I _can_ cook." Pouts the Doctor

"I'm sure you can." She smiles at him, and he brightens, before catching sight of me in the doorway

"Come on then Wolfe, have a bit of breakfast and then we'll land and be off, saving the Hoix, what do you say?"

"Alright then. I'm more interested in knowing where exactly you're going to take us after that." I grin

"Still not telling!" He teases

"Dad!" I groan

Rose puts a couple of pancakes on our plates.

"Eat up." She orders, and we dig in.

Excited to finally arrive, I hurry out of the Tardis to find we're parked in the middle of a series of identical outbuildings.

"Dad are you sure we're in the right spot?" I call over my shoulder

"Yep this is where the Hoix is. Come on. Let's go find it. Can't have it terrorizing more humans. The stupid humans will probably injure the-" The Doctor stops talking under Rose's angry gaze. "Er, and I'm sure the hoix could hurt humans too."

"Quite right. Come on then!" She marches out after me

"So the plan is I have this piece of meat to attract him" the Doctor shows us a large pork chop "And then when he gets close enough, we'll grab him. Sound good?"

"Doctor that's not much of a plan." Frowns Rose

"But it's a start!" He grins, manically at us, and races inside as we follow.

"Doctor! Doctor, the trap!" Rose cries, suddenly realizing our plan is not going so well.

"Where's he gone? Can you see him?" The Doctor yells

"There he is!" I cry having caught a flash of the alien's reptile like skin "Stop, no! Watch out! There!" I cry as I race after it.

"Where?" Demands The Doctor

"There! Over there!" Rose yells, appearing beside me, and charging after the hoix.

"No Rose! Go get the bucket-not blue- and come back here. If we want it to calm down we need to- Oh never mind, just hurry!" The Doctor orders

"Come on Wolfe."

I follow him down the corridor and after the hoix, slamming the door behind me.

The hoix charges at us and hits the door, barely missing the Doctor and I.

After a few moments of growling, and the Doctor fumbling to pull the pork chop from his pocket, the door swing open and the hoix roars, furiously.

It slowly approaches a blonde haired man, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, snarling menacingly.

The Doctor hurries through the doorway, directly behind the hoix, holding up the pork chop- just out of the aliens reach.

"Here, boy! Eat the food! C'mon, look at the lovely food! Isn't' that nice? Isn't it? Yes it is!" He babbles, waving the porch chop.

The alien turns to face the Doctor.

The Doctor looks at the motionless man "Get out of here, quickly!" he orders, before directing his attention back to the alien "Have some, boy! Wouldn't you like a porky-choppy then?"

" I said, run!" The Doctor yells at the man, who still looks too shocked to move.

Suddenly Rose comes charging onto the scene and with a loud cry, and flings the contents of a blue steaming bucket onto the monster. The hoix howls and clutches its eyes.

"Wrong one! You made it worse!" The Doctor chastises and lowers the pork chop in exasperation

"You said blue!" gasps Rose

"I said "not blue"!" Retorts the Doctor

The alien spots Rose, who whimpers and sprints off in the opposite direction.

"Oh... hold on!" The Doctor groans, irritated.

He slams the door shut. The doctor bends down

"Get on."

I climb onto his back and he takes off down one of the corridors, chasing the hoix, chasing Rose, then chasing Rose, then running from the hoix, as we enter in and out of doors, in a dizzying manner, everyone screaming, yelling and running haphazardly though three long corridors at right angles to the main one in which the man is still standing there, watching in complete bewilderment.

At some point during our chaotic chase, Rose somehow manages to acquire the proper bucket- the red one- and chases the alien back across the main corridor, with the Doctor and I following, until he stops, notices the man still standing there, and says "Hold on... don't I know you?"

This seems to shock the man out of his daze, because he turns and runs away, and down a flight of stairs.

"Gotcha!" I hear Rose's triumphant yell.

The Doctor and I hurry into the room to find the hoix on the floor, seemingly asleep. Rose turns when we enter "Great big help you two were!"

"Sorry." The Doctor says, sheepish "There was this man out there-"

"Yeah I saw, scrawny with the big eyes and blonde hair. Who cares? How do we move this thing?" Rose answers

"Oh." The Doctor looks down at the unconscious Hoix. "Hmm."

"Didn't think through this did you." Rose sighs

"I-I-I did." The Doctor defends, weakly "we just need to…" He looks around. "um."

"Dad, why don't we drag it out into the open and call its friends. If they wont be friendly, then we can hide somewhere until they pick it up and leave." I suggest

"Not bad." He looks down at me, proudly before turning to Rose "I wanted to give Wolfe a chance to suggest a plan."

"Come off it." Snorts Rose "Now lets get this thing downstairs."

The next ten minutes consisted of all three of us heaving the amazingly dense alien down the three flights of stairs and out into the lot where we parked the Tardis.

The Doctor proceeded to phone the other hoix via the Tardis

"They don't seem to be hostile. This one's adolescent. Got separated, got scared." Shrugs the Doctor as a loud, high pitched whirring echoes through the buildings.

A sleek, dark grey ship lands and the hatch opens, revealing two much larger hoix.

The Doctor starts shouting in garbled words and growls, and the Hoix respond.

"This is always the funniest thing." Rose whispers to me "He sounds ridiculous."

"I know." I chuckle back

The Hoix wake the younger one up and drag it back onto the ship, before taking off and disappearing.

"Well, that was pretty simple. Luckily only the blonde man saw, no one else. Anyone he tells will think he's crazy so it wont get around." The Doctor wanders around us, hands in the pocket of his jacket.

"Come on then." Rose drawls, "Let's get going, see where you picked, yeah?"

"Yeah." He grins "Its gonna be colder than here though, might want to change." The Doctor looks down at Rose's happy yellow shirt, and black pants.

"I'll throw on a jacket." She chuckes as we walk back onto the Tardis.

"Dad, how far are we going?"

"Not telling, but it should be about 45 minutes. What do you want to do? We could play a game."

"Yes!" I giggle "Why don't we play hide and go seek?"

"Alright, but the Tardis isn't allowed to help and stay within yelling distance of us. Can't have all of us lost in the Tardis!" the Doctor agrees

"I'll seek first." Rose reappears, wearing a jean jacket. "I'm going to count to 100. One…two…."

The Doctor and I take off down the main corridor. We run from room to room, trying to find somewhere suitable to hide. Luckily I am very small, and clamoring to the top shelf of a deep closet full of sheets and towels.

I hide myself behind a large quilt, and hold still, ears straining in the silence.

A couple minutes later I hear a loud shout. "One Hundred!"

I stayed silent, the only sound the beating of my heart in my ears as I hear Rose's footsteps race around.

"Hello! Wolfe, Doctor?" Rose calls as she wanders.

The door opens and she peers around before she starts swinging her arms in all directions, shoving towels and quilts in all directions, and rising up quite a dust pile.

"Achoo!" Rose sneezes. "Achoo!"

I feel a tickle under my nose and before I can stop it "Achoo!"

"Ha ha!" Rose's triumphant cry pieces through the air and she says "I've got you!"

I poke my head out of the towels. "Fine. Help me down?"

She helps me off my shelf and places me back on the floor.

"Now let's go find the Doctor." No sooner than we leave the closet than we hear "Ro-ose!"

Both of us whirl around and take off back down the corridor.

The Doctor is standing at the end of another long corridor.

"Oi! Doctor!" Rose yells, suddenly "You can't run! I've found you."

"Now you have to catch me!" He grins, before sprinting away.

Rose chases after him, and they run through corridor after corridor.

Pretty soon, I realize we're running in circles.

"Rose, go the other way!" I whisper between pants as we pause for a moment. "We've been going in circles!"

Rose turns around and takes off back where we came, and I follow.

With a thud, a couple cries of shock, and a groan, the Doctor and Rose slam into each other and topple to the floor.

Rose is on her back on the floor, one hand on her head and the other pinned between her, and the Doctor who has fallen on top of her.

He uses one arm to get his chest off hers lifts his head up, to look down at her, grinning.

"Gotcha." She chuckles slightly

"Haha. That you did." He smiles gently at her, neither of them moving.

A drop of blood lands on her cheek, quickly followed by another.

"Oh!" Her hand flies to her cheek, fingers touching the blood.

He scrambles off of her, his blood seeping through the fingers now clasped on his nose.

"Here let me help." Rose is on her feet and takes his arm, leading him to a loo. "Must have banged it when we ran into each other."

She sits him down on the toilet and holds a cloth to his face, gently, pinching his nose to help stop the bleeding.

"Thank you." He mumbles.

"Don't speak you'll make it worse." She chastises lightly. "But you're welcome."

They stay like that, his blood staining the cloth, and her hands pressed against the cloth and his head for several minutes, before she pulls the cloth away, revealing his nose bleed has stopped.

"Hold on." She deposits the ruined cloth in the rubbish and grabs another, dampening it slightly before gently beginning to wipe his face clean of the dry blood, careful to not jostle his nose again.

"There we are." She smiles, pulling away to reveal the Doctor looking good as new.

"You're turn." He licks his finger and gently rubs his dried blood off her cheek, his other hand cupping the back of her head to steady it.

"Thank you." She smiles at him and he smiles back.

I let the moment hang there before the Doctor changes the subject

"Well, we should be landing soon. Better go wait in the console room, yeah? Maybe no hide and go seek until its less dangerous." He laughs

We follow him back to the console room.

We wait inside, giddy with excitement to see wherever and whenever the Doctor has planned to take us. When the Tardis finally lands, the Doctor opens the door, to reveal a wall of some sort.

"Ah." The Doctor says, shutting the door, running back to the console and re parking the Tardis.

Then he runs back to the door and opens it.

"Ah!" He says again, much more enthusiastic.

We follow, looking around for any clue of where and when we might be. "Look!" Rose notices a Shayne Ward poster advertising his greatest hits album tacked onto a fence. "So, near future, Earth yeah?" Rose asks him "I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass, it stopped." The Doctor says, contemplatively for a moment before grinning at us. "Look up."

We look and hanging across the road is a "LONDON 2012" banner.

"30th Olympia!" the Doctor crows.

"No way! Why didn't I think of this, that's great!" Rose cries, delighted, as she links her arm through his. The Doctor beams.

"Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about... wrestling each other in the sand with crowds stood about, begging... no, wait a minute... that was Club Med." He laughs at his own joke, nudging Rose "Just in time for the opening ceremony tonight, I thought you two'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, 1948. I loved it so much, I went back and watched it all over again. Fella carrying the torch... lovely chap, what was his...?" The Doctor continues to babble to Rose, as I catch sight of a less enjoyable poster and wander over to it. It's a missing children sign, and its accompanied by several more.

"Mark...? John..? Mark...? Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet…" The Doctor continues babbling as I stare at the missing child poster.

"Dad!" I call

"And in those days, everybody had a tea party to go to…"

"Dad?" I repeat, louder

"Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top..." the Doctor continues to Rose

"You should really look." I call again

"Do you know those, those things?" He saunters over to me "Nobody else in this entire galaxy's ever even bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius." He pauses as he reads

"What's taking them, do you think?" he glances at us, calmly, as if its totally normal, before he scans the street "Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this. Why's it so cold...?" He shivers slightly "Is something reducing the temperature...?"

"It says they all went missing this week. Why would a person do something like this?" Rose asks, also studying the missing children posters.

"What makes you think it's a person?" The Doctor says, looking at her curiously

Rose turns at the sound of a door opening, a woman dumps a recycling sack on the pavement outside her house and hurries back inside, casting furtive looks around her all the while.

"Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death. Doctor, what...?" She turns, but the Doctor is already at the other end of the road.


	66. Chapter 66

_"Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death. Doctor, what...?" She turns, but the Doctor is already at the other end of the road._

The Doctor is wandering to a mini football goal, sniffing the air suspiciously. He holds his hand out in front of him, as though feeling something invisible. He crouches, his hand hovering above what appears to be an ordinary area of grass.

Rose and I hurry along the road towards the Doctor, when a car judders to a halt as the engine stops. We stop to watch. A black man in a neon worker jacket props his broom up against his white van and approaches the car.

"There you go. Fifth today. Not natural, is it?" He says

"I dunno what happened, I had it serviced less than a month ago." The Driver says, rolling down the window.

"Nah, don't even try and explain it, mate. All the cars are doing it. And do you know what? It's bonkers. Bonkers." The first man replies

The driver gets out of the car.  
"Come on then, pal. I'll help you shift it. Quicker you're on the way, happier you'll be." He pushes the car from behind, straining, whilst the driver pushes from the driver's side.

"Do you want a hand?" Rose offers, hurrying over

"No, we're all right, love." The man answers, dismissively but not unkindly

"No you're not. I'm tougher than I look, honest." She positions herself behind the car and gestures for him to move over. He does and she helps him push it. It edges forward and then the engine suddenly springs to life, causing the man to promptly fall over. He stands, brushing himself down.

"Does this happen a lot?" Rose asks him

"Cheers, mate!" the Driver calls as he starts off

"Been doing it all week." Grumbles the man

"Since those children started going missing?" Rose asks, astutely

"Yeah, I s'pose so." Shrugs the man

I turn away from Rose when I hear the Doctor giggling.

The Doctor giggles again as he feels whatever sensation he's experiencing over the grass.

"Tickles!" he mutters

I start to walk over as another man appears behind him, hands in his pockets.

"What's your game?" He asks, gruffly.

The Doctor spins around.

"My... um... Snakes and Ladders? Quite good at... Squash. Reasonable."

I snort with amusement, but the man looks quite annoyed.

"I'm... being facetious, aren't I? There's no call for it." The Doctor tries to amend.

Shaking my head I look back over to Rose to see she's deep in conversation with the man.

I walk over and start catching onto the man's words.

"…car cuts out. The council are going nuts. I mean, they've given this street the works. Renamed it... I've been tarmacking every pot hole..."

He gestures proudly "Look at that. Beauty, init? Yep! And all that is because that Olympic Torch comes right by the end of this close. Just down there. Everything's got to be perfect, ain't it? Only it ain't." he shakes his head, bitterly

"It takes 'em when they're playing." We all turn to see a little old lady, with big eyes, and a crazy look on her face

"What takes them?" Rose asks, slowly

"Danny... Jane... Dale... snatched in the blink of an eye." She says, sounding awed, before looking at me "Take you too."

I step back, disturbed

The Doctor's voice, pleading, comes closer. I look to see he is backing away from the man who looks like he's about to beat him up.

" I'm... I'm a police officer! I've got a badge, and... and a police car... you don't have to get... I can... I can prove it! Just hold on…" He fishes in his pocket, most likely for the psychic paper.  
"We've had plenty of coppers poking around here, and you don't look, or sound, like any of them." Snarls the man

"See, look! I've got a colleague!" He points at Rose's face.

Rose gives Tom's Dad a policeman-like wink.  
"Well, she looks less like a copper than you do." Snorts the man

"Training. New recruit. It was either that or hairdressing, so..."

Rose glares at him while he brandishes the psychic paper at the man "Voila!"

Another woman has wandered over "What are you going to do?"

"The police have knocked on every door, no clues, no leads, nothing." The old woman announces

"Look, kids run off sometimes, all right? That's what they do..." the man who was glaring at the Doctor says to her

"Dale Hixon in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then...!" the old woman waves her arms, mimics something disappearing "Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us!" She gasps

By now we're attracting a bit of a crowd.

"Why don't we..." Starts the Doctor, trying to get people to disperse

"Why don't we start with him?" a new woman points at the man who Rose helped with the car "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."

"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" he defends

"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it." The man harassing the Doctor edges forward

"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is just..." The Doctor starts again

"You don't... what you just said, that's slander!" the man gapes at the crowd

"I don't care what it is!" snarls the woman back

"I think we need to just..." Tries the Doctor again

"I want an apology off her!" cries the man, furious

"Stop picking on him." Defends the old lady

"Yeah, stop picking on me!" echoes the man

"And stop pretending to be blind! It's evil!" continues the old woman

"I don't believe in evil." Snarls the nasty neighbor woman

"Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van..." The man replies, sharply

"Ay, ay, ay, that's not what she's saying." Another neighbor adds

"Would you stop ganging up on me?"

"Feeling guilty, are we?" another neighbor shouts, shrilly

"Fingers on lips!" Yells the Doctor above the babble that arose.

He puts his finger on his lips and glares around at them all as if daring them not to do the same. The council worker behind the Tarmack has already obeyed, and after a moment of complete bewilderment, Tarmack and the man who harassed the Doctor put their fingers on their lips too. The Doctor looks pointedly at Rose and I, who hurriedly follow suit. Now all of us have our fingers on their lips, and silence has fallen.

"In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen. Snatched out of thin air, right?" The Doctor starts speaking

The old woman gestures to ask permission to take her finger off her lips "Er... can I...?" she mumbles

The Doctor motions for her to go ahead.

"Look around you... this was a safe street 'til it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. Maybe you're coppers, maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?" the old lady begs.

I look at Rose, who was staring up at one of the houses.

Following her gaze, I see the small face of a girl in the window. One of the women in the crowd who has seen us watching, spins around to look up at the window. She hurries back inside.

"Alright folks, let my partner and I do our job." The Doctor announces

Everyone begins to disperse, back into their houses.

The Doctor then starts sniffing around the front lawn like a sniffer-dog. Rose watches him for a few moments, before she says "Want a hanky?" "Can you smell it?" he turns to look at us. Rose sniffs. So do I.

"What does it remind you of?"

"Sort of... metal?" I offer

"Mm-hm" nods the Doctor, excitedly

"Oooh!" grins Rose

The Doctor waves to the man who harassed him as he gives the evil eye to us all from his window.

We leave, and start to wander between the houses, walking down a narrow alleyway.

"Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other." That's what one woman says. He stumbles slightly to a stop

"Woah, there it goes again!"

He shows Rose the back of his hand "Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand."

I giggle, and Rose rolls her eyes, before inhaling "And there's that smell... it's like a um... a burnt fuse plug or something." Rose's nose wrinkles.

"There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished. Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this." He rubs his hands through his hair in confusion. "Come on!" He urges us, taking my hands and marching out of the alley, Rose following a few paces behind the Doctor, back in the close.

"Aren't you a beautiful boy?" Coos Rose

The Doctor beams "Thanks! I'm experimenting with back-combing…."he trails off as he turns back to Rose to see her talking to a cat.

"Oh." He says, distastefully, wrinkling his nose. I giggle at his expression.

"I used to have one like you." Rose coos at the cat as the cat meows.

The Doctor is watching uncomfortably, looking as though he has a nasty taste in his mouth. Rose looks back at us, and sees the Doctor's foul expression

"What?" She demands

"No, I'm not really a cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it." He explains while I walk over and pet the cat for a moment before it wanders over to a cardboard box.

"Come here, puss!" Coos Rose.

I turn back to the Doctor to see he's averted his eyes. The cat climbs inside the box.

"What do you wanna go in there for?" chuckles Rose

There is a whooshing sound, and the cat's meow echoes slightly as if fading into the distance. The hair on the back of my neck and all along my arms stands up

Rose peers inside the box, it is empty.

"Doctor!" She calls urgently and we hurry over to her. Rose hurriedly stands up as the smell hits her.

"Whoa! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" The Doctor and I back away as he waves the smell away and picks up the empty cardboard box.  
"Iron residue. Blimey! That takes some doing!" he crows as he turns the box around, impressed "Just to snatch a living organism out of space time. This baby is just like," he stops, before putting on a rough accent "I'm 'avin' some of that", I'm impressed."

Rose and I laugh "So the cat's been transported?

"Whatever it is, it can harness huge reserves of ionic power. We need to find the source of that power." He looks around "Find the source and you will find... whatever has taken to stealing children and fluffy animals. See what you can see." Rose is looking around so he whacks her on the shoulder, gestures his eyes "Keep 'em peeled, Lewis." Rose nods as the Doctor walks off. I follow him quickly, marching importantly.

Rose wanders off another way, looking about.

The neighbourhood is eerily quiet except from a dog barking.

I hear a faint crash in the direction Rose went.

"Um, Dad?"

"Mmm?"

Now there is a distinct crash noise "Isn't that where Mum-"

The Doctor takes off towards the sound as another crash is heard, while I race after him

"Stay still!" He orders, and points his sonic screwdriver at what looks like a buzzing a giant mess of wires. I follow suit, the both of us standing in front of where Rose had fallen on the ground, making the wires convulse, before collapsing into a small ball which falls into Rose's outstretched hands. The Doctor rushes to Rose and stands over her.

"Okey dokey?" He holds out his hands and pulls Rose to her feet.

"Yeah, cheers." She pants

"No probs." They have a quick hug before he turns to me

"And look at you using your sonic!"

I blush with pride before we return our attention to the object in Rose's hand.

"I'll give you a fiver if you can tell me what the hell it is." He looks at us before he pokes it with the sonic screwdriver "'Cos I haven't got the foggiest."

"Well, I can tell you you've just killed it." Rose offers

"It was never living. It's animated by energy. Same energy that's snatching people." He takes it from her, and throws it up and down, quite delighted "That is so dinky! The Go-Anywhere creature. Fits in your pocket... makes friends, impresses the boss... breaks the ice at parties..." He pockets it. Rose laughs and we start walking again.

"Come on. The Tardis can help analyze it for us." The Doctor picks up the pace and we reenter the Tardis. The Doctor immediately puts the object on the TARDIS console for analyzing.

"Oh, hi ho, here we go. Let's have a look." He gestures to us a moment later

We're all are watching the computer screen, which is displaying Gallifreyan symbols.

"Get out of here..." gasps the Doctor

"What's it say?" Demands Rose, but the Doctor doesn't respond. Instead, he takes a pencil from his pocket and holds the object out in front of him. He uses the rubber at the end of the pencil to rub out part of the object. "It is!" he gasps as he blows on it. "It's graphite! Basically the same material as an HB pencil!"

I open my mouth, utterly lost.

"I was attacked by a... pencil scribble?" Rose double checks

"Scribble creature." He sniffs it, before allowing Rose and and I to sniff it. "Brought into being with ionic energy. Whatever we're dealing with, it can create things as well as take them. But... why make a scribble creature?" He demands,

"Maybe it was a mistake... I mean, you scribble over something when you wanna get rid of it. Like a um... like a drawing. Like a... a" Rose starts, before her eyes fall to me "child's drawing." She gasps with realization

"You said it was in the street." I ask them, confused

"Probably..." he mutters

"The girl!" Rose gasps

"Of course! ... What girl?" The Doctor asks

"Something about her gave me the creeps... even her own Mum looked scared of her." Rose looks very excited with her discovery

"Are you deducting?" The Doctor leans in, proudly

"I think I am." She teases him, with a conspiratorial look

"Copper's hunch?" He teases her back  
"Permission to follow it up, Sarge." She smiles at him

"Permission granted. Come on constable." The Doctor takes my hand and Rose's and we leave the Tardis, quickly heading towards the house of the little girl and ring the doorbell. Through the glass we can see the woman hesitate, so the Doctor leans forward and raps on the letter box. The mother opens the door.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Rose, and this is Wolfe. Can we see your daughter?" The Doctor asks, brightly

"No! You can't." The woman answers, quickly

"Okay! Bye." The Doctor turns, grabbing Rose and I by the arms as we walk away in silence, waiting, and sure enough, the mother calls after us, her voice weak

"Why?"

We turn in unison.

"Why do you want to see Chloe?" she repeats, sounding desperate

"Well, there's some interesting stuff going on in this street, and I just thought, well, we thought, that she might like to give us a hand." The Doctor shrugs

"Sorry to bother you." I apologize

"Yeah, sorry. We'll let you get on with things. On your own. Bye again!" We turn and walk away again, but Chloe's Mum does not close the door. "Wait!" The expression on Trish's face is helpless, vulnerable.

"Can you help her?"

The Doctor smiles, proudly "Yes, I can."


	67. Chapter 67

The Doctor smiles, proudly "Yes, I can."

We walk inside the house and follow the woman, who tells us her name is Trish, into her sitting room. Footage of the Olympic Torch Bearer is on the TV.

"The Torch Bearer is running up towards the mall, which I can tell you is..." babbles the announcer as Rose and I sit ourselves down on the sofa while the Doctor flings his coat down next to Rose.

"She stays in her room, most of the time. I try talking to her, but it's like trying to speak to a brick wall. She gives me nothing, just asks to be left alone." Trish sighs

"What about Chloe's dad?" Rose asks, carefully  
"Chloe's dad died a year ago." Murmurs Trish

"I'm sorry." Rose winces

"You wouldn't be if you'd known him." Mutters Trish, darkly

"Well! Let's go and say hi!" The Doctor says, brightly

"I should check on her first... she might be asleep." Trish says, hesitantly

"Why are you afraid of her, Trish?" The Doctor asks her, quietly

"I want you to know before you see her that's she's really a great kid." Trish hurriedly says

"I'm sure she is." The Doctor answers, glancing down at me.

"She's never been in trouble at school... you should see her report from last year. As and Bs…" She smiles at Rose, proud. Rose smiles back.

"Can I use your loo?" Rose asks and Trish nods. The Doctor watches Rose closely as she leaves the room.

"She's in the choir, she's singing in an old folks home. Any mum would be proud. You know... I want you to know these things before you see her, Doctor. Because right now, she's not herself."

"Thank you for telling me. I don't doubt she's a great kid." The Doctor says, "May I please see her?"

"Yes." Relents Trish, "She's in the kitchen I believe."

The Doctor pops is head around the corner, looking through the dining room into the kitchen.

"All right, there?" he calls.

Chloe is drinking some milk from the fridge. The Doctor walks into the kitchen, Trish and I behind him. He settles himself against a table as Chloe replaces the milk and closes the fridge door.

"I'm the Doctor."

"I'm Chloe Webber."

"How're you doing, Chloe Webber?" grins the Doctor

"I'm busy. I'm making something. Aren't I, Mum?"

Chloe's voice is harsh and deep and thoughoughly unsettling coupled with her angry facial expression.

"And like I said, she's not been sleeping…" Trish adds

"But you've been drawing, though. I'm rubbish. Stick men are about my limit. Can do this, though..." He does the 'live long and prosper' sign from Star Trek. Chloe's face is expressionless, while I hide a snort of laughter.

"Can you do that?" He asks her, while Trish nods at Chloe, encouraging her to answer.

"They don't stop moaning." She says instead

"Chloe..." Sighs Trish

"I try to help them, but they don't stop moaning." Repeats Chloe

"Who don't?" The Doctor asks, quietly, lowering his hand

"We can be together." Continues Chloe, while Trish moves towards her "Sweetheart..."

"Don't touch me, mum." Snarls Chloe, and I am taken aback at her harsh tone.

Trish stops in her tracks, letting her hand fall back to her side. She and the Doctor glance at one another.

"I'm busy... Doctor." Chloe announces as she leaves.

"Oh, come on, Chloe! Don't be a spoil sport!" The Doctor calls as he follows her back into the hallway "What's the big project? I'm dying to know! What're you making up there?" He grins

"Doctor!" Rose's terrified voice echoes from upstairs.

The Doctor lurches forwards and sprints up the stairs, Trish, Chloe, and I following.

Rose is staring into the wardrobe as though transfixed when the Doctor, and I run into the room.

A deep, horrible voice growls "I'm coming to hurt you..." from the wardrobe as Trish and Chloe enter

The Doctor slams the wardrobe doors shut without so much as a glance at the inside.

"Look at it." Rose orders

"No." The Doctor answers, swiftly as he walks away to examine the drawings on the wall, putting his glasses on.

"What the hell was that?" Demands Trish

"A drawing. The face of a man." Rose answers

"What face?" Trish asks, and she tries to open the doors but Rose rams herself up against them, stopping her.

"Best not." Rose warns

"What've you been drawing?" Trish demands of Chloe

"I'm drew him yesterday." Chloe mutters

"Who?" Trish asks again

"Dad."

"Your dad? But he's long gone. Chloe, with all the lovely things in the world, why him?" Trish asks, worried

"I dream about him, staring at me." Chloe answers

"I thought we were putting him behind us. What's the matter with you?" Sighs Trish

"We need to stay together." Chloe responds

"Yes, we do." Nods Trish

"No. Not you. Us." Chloe responds vaguely

The Doctor glances around at this, as Chloe continues "We need to stay together. And then it'll be all right."

Trish goes over to her, putting her hands on her daughter's cheeks. Chloe flinches.

"Trish, the drawings, have you seen what Chloe's drawings can do?" Rose asks her, encouragingly

"Who gave you permission to come into her room? Get out of my house." Trish suddenly snarls, cold

"Tell us about the drawings, Chloe." The Doctor says,

"I don't wanna here any more of this." Trish interrupts

"But that drawing of her Dad... I heard a voice. He spoke." I argue

"He's dead. And these, they're kids pictures. Now get out!" Trish defends

"Chloe has a power. And I don't know how, but she used it to take Danny Edwards. Dale Hicks, she's using it to snatch the kids." Rose tries again

"Get out." Snarls Trish

"Have you seen those drawings move?" Demands Rose

"I haven't seen anything." Trish answers, derisively

"Ah, yes you have. Out of the corner of your eye" The Doctor comments and Trish turns to him, firmly

"No."

"And you dismissed it, because what choice do you have when you see something you can't possibly explain?" He moves over to her "You dismiss it, right? And if anyone mentions it, you get angry, so it's never spoken of, ever ag..."

"She's a child..." Hisses Trish,

"And you're terrified of her. But there's no one to turn to, because who's gonna believe the things you see out of the corner of your eye? No one. Except me." The Doctor continues

"Who are you?" demands Trish, somewhat wearily

"I'm help."

"Alright. Why don't we discuss this somewhere…private." Rose suggests, glancing at Chloe.

We head back into the kitchen, leaning on the worktops. The Doctor swipes a jar of marmalade off the worktop, unscrews the lid, dips his fingers into it and starts sucking the jam off. Rose clears her throat. He pauses, and Rose shakes her head at him, mouthing 'no'. The Doctor, looking for all the world like a naughty schoolboy caught red-handed, glances at Trish who is just staring at him. I giggle as he meekly replaces the lid and pushes the jar behind him.

"Those pictures, they're alive. She's drawing people and they end up in her pictures." Rose starts

"Ionic energy. Chloe's harnessing it to steal those kids and place them in some kid of holding-pen made up of ionic power." The Doctor adds, making things much less clear for poor Trish

"And what about the dad from hell in her wardrobe?" I ask

"How many times do I have to tell you? He's dead." Groans Trish

"Well, he's got a very loud voice for a dead bloke." Retorts Rose

"If living things can become drawings, then maybe drawings can become living things..." The Doctor thinks aloud, before suddenly shivering violently, making Rose jump. "Chloe's real dad is dead, but not the one who visits her in her nightmares. That dad seems very real. That's the dad she's drawn and he's a heartbeat away from crashing into this world..."

"She always got the worst of it when he was alive." Mutters Trish, and shakes her head

"Dad, how can a twelve-year-old girl be doing any of this?" I ask

"Let's find out." He strides back up the stairs, the rest of us following. We reenter Chloe's bedroom. She is sitting cross-legged on the bed. The Doctor stands before her, looking down at her. She says nothing, but does the "live long and prosper" sign. I smile.

"Nice one." I compliment

He kneels in front of her, holding her head in his hands, fingers on her temples. Her eyes roll in her head for a moment before closing. He closes his own eyes before suddenly Chloe falls backwards onto the bed.

"There we go..." He mutters

"I can't let him do this..." Trish starts, moving towards them in concern

"Shh, it's okay. Trust him." Rose tugs her back, and after a moment, The Doctor straightens up.

"Now we can talk." He says to Chloe

When Chloe speaks, her voice comes out as a strange whisper, and it's obviously not her.

"I want Chloe. Wake her up. I want Chloe." She whispers

"Who are you?" demands the Doctor

"I want Chloe Webber!" hisses Chloe at him

"What've you done to my little girl?" Trish cries

"Dad, what is it?" I ask

The Doctor walks slowly around the bed, all the while looking down at Chloe. "I'm speaking to you. The entity that is using this human child. I request parlez in compliance with the Shadow Proclamation." He announces

"I don't care about shadows or parlez." Hisses Chloe

"So what do you care about?" The Doctor's voice is much softer now

"I want my friends." Her voice is broken

"You're lonely, I know. Identify yourself." He kneels beside her

"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. I hate it. It's not fair. And I hate it!" Chloe's eyes snap open.

"Name yourself!" The Doctor orders

"Isolus." She whispers


	68. Chapter 68

_"Name yourself!" The Doctor orders "Isolus." She whispers_

"You're Isolus. Of course." The Doctor is nodding as if that explains everything

"Our journey began in the Deep Realms when we were a family." She sits up, now drawing on a piece of paper next to her on the bed whilst speaking.

"What's that?" Trish asks, coming over to look at Chloe's drawing

The drawings begins to take shape.

"The Isolus Mother, drifting in Deep Space." He stands, to address Trish "See, she jettisons millions of fledgling spores. Her children. The Isolus are empathic beings of intense emotions, but when they're cast off from their mother, their empathic link, their need for each other, is what sustains them. They need to be together. They cannot be alone."

"Our journey is long." Chloe agrees

" The Isolus children travel, each inside a pod. They ride the heat and energy of solar tides. It takes thousands and thousands of years for them to grow up."

"Thousands of years just floating through space... poor things, don't they go mad with boredom?" I gasp

"We play." Chloe informs us

"You... play?" Rose repeats, confused

The Doctor sits down on the bed.

"Mm. While they travel, they play games. They use their ionic power to literally create make-believe worlds in which to play.

"In-flight entertainment." Snorts Rose

"Helps keep them happy. While they're happy, they can feed off each others love. Without it, they're lost." He addresses Chloe again "Why did you come to Earth?"

"We were too close."

She rips the piece of paper she is drawing on off the pad and starts anew.

"That's a solar flare from your sun. Would've made a tidal wave of solar energy that scattered the Isolus pods." The Doctor explains the drawing to Rose, Trish and I

"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there. And I cannot reach them. So alone…." Chloe whispers

"Your pod crashed... where is it?" The Doctor asks

"My pod was drawn to heat... And I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She was like me. Alone. She needed me. And I her."

The Doctor strokes Chloe's head.

"You empathised with her. You wanted to be with her because she was alone like you." He whispers, and I recall his past, without Rose and I and I suddenly understand his deep empathy for Chloe.

"I want my family. It's not fair." Tears fill my eyes and I understand exactly what she means, only I am lucky enough to have mine.

"I understand. You wanna make a family. But you can't stay in this child. It's wrong. You can't steal any more friends for yourself." The Doctor tells her gently

"I am alone." Chloe repeats

There is another thump from the wardrobe. Trish gasps.

"I'm coming to hurt you." The voice from the wardrobe growls

Chloe starts to shake and tremble in fear, although her face remains impassive. There is a pounding on the door of the wardrobe.

"I'm coming." The voice growls again

"Trish, how do you calm her?" demands the Doctor as Chloe's body is jerking as though she is having a seizure.

"What?" demands Trish, looking truly terrified

"When she has nightmares, what do you do?"

"I... I... " Trish glances at the Wardrobe again

"What do you do?" Yells the Doctor again

"I sing to her." Trish answers

"Then start singing." He motions for Trish to come over. Trish takes his place next to Chloe.

"Chloe... I'm coming." Yells Chloe's Dad again

"Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, merry merry king of the bush is he..."

"Chloe... Chloe..." The banging and thumping on the door continues. The Doctor, Rose, and I look over at it, whilst Trish strokes Chloe's hair, trying to sooth her

"Chloe... Chloe..."

"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be."

The banging and the voice eventually fades.

"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be."

Chloe is now asleep.

"He came to her because she was lonely... Chloe, I'm sorry..." Trish's eyes are full of tears and she buries her head in her little girl's shoulder, arms around her, sobbing.

After a couple of moments, the Doctor urges Trish to help us clean all of the writing utensils up, to prevent Chloe form drawing anyone else. Now Rose, Trish and I are cleaning the sitting room, while the Doctor keeps guard over Chloe.

"Chloe usually got the brunt of his temper. When he'd had a drink. The day he crashed the car, I thought we were free." Trish explains as Rose hands her a bunch of pencils. "I thought it was over."

"Did you talk to her about it?" Rose asks

"I didn't want to." Admits Trish

Rose sits down.

"But... maybe that's why Chloe feels so alone. 'Cos she has all these terrible dreams about her dad, but she can't talk to you about them" Rose suggests

"Her an the Isolus... two lonely kids who need each other." I agree, as the Doctor appears in the doorway. Rose looks up at him

"And it won't stop, will it, Doctor? It'll just keep pulling kids in?"

"It's desperate to be loved. It's used to a pretty big family." Admits the Doctor

"How big?" I ask, worried

"Say around... four billion?"

This draws a stunned silence from us. Rose turns her attention to the television.

"The queues started a week ago for those desperate enough to be inside, although lots of them expected a capacity crowd of eighty thousand for this evening's opening ceremony. I have to say there's been..."

"Alright Rose, Wolfe, what do you say we get to work. Trish, we'll be back, I promise. Thank you for letting us start to help. Whatever happens, keep her from the pencils."

"I will Doctor. Thank you." She nods and we leave her home, heading abck to the Tardis

"We need that pod." Groans the Doctor

"It crashed, won't it be destroyed?" Rose asks

"Well, it's been sucking in all the heat it can... hopefully that should keep it in a fit state to launch."

"Mum." I hiss, having caught sight of Chloe watching us through her bedroom window. I indicate to Chloe and Rose glances up as the Doctor continues.  
"It must be close. It should have a weak energy signature that the Tardis can trace. Once we find it, then we can stop the Isolus." Chloe moves away from the window, and I turn back to the Doctor.

We're nearing the Tardis now.

"We can scan for the same trace we picked up from the scribble creature. Just need to widen the field a bit." He fishes in his pocket for the Tardis key.  
"Let me." I giggle and I lean forward, opening the door with my key.

"Good girl!" The Doctor grins as we go inside.

The Doctor fumbles with some device, putting it together. Rose is sat in the chair next to the console.

"You knew the Isolus was lonely before it told you. How?" Rose asks him as The Doctor shoves Rose off the chair and sits down on it himself.

"know what it's like to travel a long way on your own. Give me the stina magnetic erm..." he nods towards it violently "thing in your left hand!" he sighs and Rose glances at him, chewing on gum absent-mindedly.

"Sounds like you're on its side."

Rose slots the 'thing in her left hand' into the device whilst the Doctor holds it still between his legs.

"I sympathise, that's all." He shrugs

"The Isolus has caused a lot of pain for these people." Rose chastises

"It's a child!" The Doctor answers as he blows on the device "That's why it went to Chloe, two lonely mixed up kids." He blows on it again, examining it.

"Hmm... feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get its own way." Rose answers

"It's scared! Come on, you were a kid once. Binary dot."

"Yes! And I know what kids can be like. Right little... terrors." Rose says as I hand him the Binary dot.

"Oi!" I snort

"Well, not you Wolfe. Most kids and besides, I've got cousins, Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family."

"Gum"

The Doctor is holds his hand out under Rose's mouth. Rose spits her gum out into his hand.

The Doctor sticks the gum to the device, securing it.

"What about trying to understand them the way we do Wolfe?"

"Easy for you to say. Wolfe is the easiest kid imaginable for first parenting attempt!" Rose says, turning away with a slight smile

"I was a dad before." The Doctor answers, offhandedly

"What did you say?" Demands Rose as she turns back to him, shocked

I stare at him, in surprise too.

The Doctor doesn't seem to notice the effect his words have on us. He doesn't reply. "I think we're there!" He stands, and goes to the console "Fear. Loneliness. They're the big ones, Rose. Some of the most terrible acts ever committed have been inspired by them. We're not dealing with something that wants to conquer or destroy." Rose is still reeling from the bombshell he just dropped, but he's carrying on oblivious, pulling levers and pressing buttons on the console. "There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe." He Indicates to his console "Warp drive... wormhole refractors... You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold." Rose puts out her hand and he looks up, noticing Rose's outstretched hand and takes it, grinning.

"No! Look, I'm pointing." She laughs. The Doctor looks at the computer screen where she was pointing, but doesn't let go of her hand. A flashing white light on a map of the neighborhood indicates the whereabouts of the pod.

"It's the pod! It is in the street! Everything's coming up Doctor!" He scoots off towards the doors. Rose follows after a moment, still slightly distracted. We hurry back into the parking lot and the Doctor shuts the door behind him.

"Okay. It's about two inches across. Dull grey, like a gulls egg. Very light." He explains.

Rose and I start walking ahead as she asks

"So these pods, they travel from sun to sun using heat, yeah? So it's not all about love and stuff. Doesn't the pod just need heat?"

A crash from behind us causes us to whirl around, the device we just constructed is shattered on the floor, and the Doctor has vanished.

"Doctor?" Rose cries at the same time I yell

"Dad?"

My stomach lurches as I realize something else.

The Tardis is gone too.


	69. Chapter 69

_My stomach lurches as I realize something else. The Tardis is gone too._

Rose takes off, through the parking lot, ad alleyway and back down the street, while I follow as quickly as I can. Rose knocks on the door of Trish's house frantically. Trish opens the door, Rose barges past her and up the stairs.

"It's okay! I've taken all the pencils off her!" Trish calls as we burst into Chloe's bedroom. Rose crosses the room to the desk, swiping away the paper Chloe is drawing on and observing the Tardis and the Doctor sketched onto it.

"Leave me alone! I want to be with Chloe Webber! I love Chloe Webber!" Chloe hisses at us

"Bring him back, now." I order

"No." Chloe answers, bluntly

Rose turns away for a second, head in hands, and then very suddenly spins round and grabs Chloe by the shoulders.

"Don't you realise what you've done? He was the only one who could help you, now bring him back!" Rose snarls, viciously

It is clear her panic is derived from her worry over the Doctor.

"Leave me alone! I love Chloe Webber!"

Rose's face softens slightly. Trish is watching form the doorway.

"I know." Rose whispers, "I know."

She turns her attention to the paper she is holding.

"Doctor, if you can hear me, I'm gonna get you out of there. Me and Wolfe. We're gonna get you out of there. We'll find the pod." Her voice trembles, before she turns to look at Trish "Don't leave her alone, no matter what." Then she looks at me "Come on Wolfe." She marches from the room, leaving me to follow.

Rose and I exit the house, and Rose looks around. Kel, the Tarmack, is admiring his handy work on the street.

"Heat. They travel on heat." Rose mutters, looking around

"Look at this finish. Smooth as a baby's bottom." Kel calls to us

Rose hurries over to him. "Not a bump or a lump." He continues

"Kel, was there anything in this street in the last few days giving off a lot of heat?" She asks, desperately

"I mean, you can eat your dinner off this. Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one…" Kel continues, smiling

"Well, when you've worked it out, put it in a big book about tarmacking, but before you do that, think back six days." Rose sarcastically replies

"Six days..." Mumbles Kel "When I was laying this the first time round!"

"What?" I ask

"Well, that's when I filled in this pothole for the first time." Kel explains

"Six days ago..." Mutters Rose

Something licks in my head "Hot fresh tar..." I look up at her, urgently as Kel boasts "Blended to a secret council recipe."

Rose and I make eye contact and without another word, Rose stands and runs to the van. I follow quickly

"Ah... ah! I don't keep it in the van!" Kel calls after us

Rose wrenches open the doors.

"Ay, that's a council van." Kel says, hurrying over "Out."

Rose ignores him and climbs inside, picking up an axe. She laughs with glee when she finds it, hopping out of the van again, running over to the freshly filled pothole.

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait, you just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back. No don't, wait, put the axe back in the van, that's my van, gimme the axe!" Kel orders, angry

Rose swings the axe behind her, ready to bring it down hard on the road. "No! Wait! No!" Kel shrieks

With a shout, Rose brings the axe crashing down the road, smashing through the tarmac.

"No! You... stop!" Kel repeats

Rose hacks at the road again.

"You just took a council axe, from a council van, and now you're digging up a council road! I'm reporting you to the council!" Kel exclaimed, outraged

Rose and I scrabble around the hole she just made, and my fingers close around the pod.

"It went for the hottest thing in the street. Your tar!" She laughs in delight, and I hand it to her.

"What is it?" Demands Kel

"It's a spaceship! Not a council spaceship, I'm afraid." She laughs "Come on!" She urges me. We run back to Chloe's house and burss in through the front door.

"we found it!" Rose cries, practically running into Trish, who appeared in the front hall "I don't know what to do with it, but maybe the Isolus will just hop on board." Her smile fades as she realises Trish is alone "Hang on, I told you not to leave her!"

"I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there, you don't go digging up..." Kel starts yelling, appearing in the doorway.

"Shut up and look!" I yell, pointing to what had just caught my eye- the TV.

"The crowd has vanished! Er... um... they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone. Er... um... right in front of my eyes. Um... it's impossible! Bob, can we join you, um, in the box?" The commentators say, utterly confused "Bob? Not you too, Bob?"

"The stadium won't be enough. The Isolus has four billion brothers and sisters." Rose gasps in dismay

"Over eighty-thousand spectators and thirteen thousand athletes..." The commentator continues "Er... they're gone! All of those people. Er... it's a terrible, terrible turn of events..."

Rose charges up to Chloe's bedroom door still holding the axe, Trish and I behind her. She tries the handle, but something is obstructing the door. "Chloe?" Trish calls through the door

"Chloe, it's Rose! Open the door!" Rose calls urgently "We found your ship! We can send you home!"

"Chloe?" Shrieks Trish

There is no response form Chloe

"Right, stand back." Rose orders, and Trish and I move out of the way

Rose swings the axe and brings it crashing down on the door. Rose swings the axe again and again, splintering the wood. Having made a large enough hole in the door to fit her arm through, Rose finds the obstruction- a chair- and knocks it out of the way and opens the door.

We rush in.

"Chloe!" I yell

"I'm coming to hurt you..." The voice in the wardrobe moans

Chloe is colouring furiously

"I'm coming..."

"I've gotta stop her." Rose says and she starts forward but the wardrobe doors rattle particularly violently and she steps back

"If you stop Chloe Webber, I will let him out. We will let him out together. I cannot be alone. It's not fair." Chloe warns us

Rose holds the pod out to her "Look, I've got your pod."

"The pod is dead." Snarls Chloe

"It... it only needs heat." Rose says, faltering slightly  
"It needs more than heat." Chloe answers

"What, then?" Demands Rose desperate

"I'm not being funny or nothing, but that picture just moved." Kel, who just arrived, points at the drawing of the Doctor and the Tardis I rush over and pick it up.

There is now a simple sketch of the Olympic Torch next to the Doctor, and he is pointing to it.

"She didn't draw that. He did. But it needs more than heat, Doctor." I say, looking helplessly at the drawings.

"Wolfe." Rose calls and I turn my head to look where she is pointing at Chloe's computer, talking about the Olympics.

"It's much more than a torch now, it's a beacon. It's a beacon of hope and fortitude and courage. And it's a beacon of love." The Commentator announces

"Love." Rose and I chorus

"So let's have a look from the helicopter; there we go, the torch running..." Continues the commentator as I rush over to Rose

"I know how to charge up the pod!"

We hurry out of the house and jog down the close, there are lots of people congregated at the end, cheering as the torch bearer passes by.

Rose and I join them, squeezing through to the front. A policeman stops her.

"Sorry, you'll have to watch from here." He gruffly says

"No, I've gotta get closer..." Rose begs

"No way!" the police man answers

Rose groans, giving a frustrated sigh. As the torch bearer passes by, the pod begins to chirp.

"You felt it, didn't you?" Rose asks it, before turning to look at me

"Here." She hands the pod to me.

"Wolfe, I am not tall enough to do this. Remember how you put the Tardis on the tree? We're going to do that again, but you're going to have to throw the pod at the torch. Okay?"

"Okay." I nod and she kneels down. I get onto her shoulders and she shakily stands up, giving me vantage above most of the crowd.

"Feel the love." I whisper softly to the pod, before I throws it into the air and it is drawn to the torch. The torchbearer staggers slightly as it falls into the flames, but dismisses it.

I slide off Rose's shoulders and we Rose jump up and down with joy.

"Yes!" We cheer, before rushing back down the street, still cheering and whooping with delight, Rose throws her arms around Kel, who followed us out of the house.

"You did it!" he pauses, confused "What was it you did?" Rose ignores him, grabs me and spins me around, giggling and bouncing up and down. Suddenly all the missing children materialise out of thin air. The commotion draws people from their houses and the children run to their parents.

Rose is happy to see them reunited, but is slightly distant.

"Doctor..." She murmurs, as she watches the happy families sadly, and jumps when the old lady touches her arm.

"I don't know who you are, or what you did, but thank you, darling!" She kisses Rose's cheek. Rose laughs.

"And thank that man for me too!" adds the old lady as she walks away. Rose scans the street with growing anxiety.  
"Where is he? He should be here." He says, here voice shaking with anxiety.

"Mum, he'll be here, it'll be okay." I sooth, though I am worried too.

She watches the happy children playing on the street.

"All the drawings have come to life." She murmurs

I look up at Chloe's bedroom window, where a red light has filled the room and audible growling is heard.

"Mum! That means all of them!" I cry, realizing that Chloe's Dad is also alive.

"Oh, no." gasps Rose

We run towards the house. Rose rushes to the front door and bangs on it. "Trish, get out!" Rose yells through the glass

"I can't! The door's stuck!" Trish responds, panicked

"Is the Doctor in there?" Rose demands,

"I don't think so!" Trish responds and I hear Chloe's scared voice

"Mummy! Please, dad. No more…"

I yank my sonic out and press it against the lock.

"It's not working!" I look at Rose, desperately

"Chloe..." We hear the Dad's rumbling voice from inside

"Chloe, listen to me. It isn't real like the others. It's just energy left over by the Isolus, but you can get rid of it..." Rose starts

"Help us!" Shrieks Trish, banging on the door

"Oh it's 'cos you're so scared that he's real! But you can get shot of him, Chloe!" I yell through the door

"You can do it, Chloe!" Urges Rose

"I can't!" sobs Chloe

"Chloe... I'm coming..."Chloe's Dad echoes

"I can't..." repeats Chloe

"I'm with you, Chloe. You're not alone. You'll never be alone again." Trish comforts her daughter

"Sing again! Chloe, sing!" Commands Rose, banging on the door.

"Chloe... Chloe…"

She begins to sing the Kookaburra song again, but it can barely be heard over Chloe's Dad's roars, his shadow coming closer.

"Chloe... Chloe... Chloe... Chloe, I'm coming to hurt you…"

Trish joins her in the song.

As their voices become stronger, his becomes weaker. He roars with anger, but it sounds distant.

We finally hear the sound of Trish and Chloe's relieved laughter.

Rose, sighing with relief, slides down the door, sinking to the ground.

"Laugh, Kookaburra laugh, Kookaburra, gay your life must be!" they finish the song

Rose and I are still waiting for the Doctor to turn up, and we're sitting in silence on the curb.

"Maybe he's gone somewhere." I suggest, despite my burning grief

"Who's gonna hold his hand now?" Murmurs Rose, and I stay silent, realizing I am only making things worse.

"Come on you two, while you wait for your friend, let's go watch the Olympics, yeah?" Kel urges us, and Rose and I get up and follow him into Trish and Chloe's house.

"Just look at this! Utterly incredibly scenes at the Olympics stadium, eighty thousand athletes and spectators, they disappeared, they've come back!" The announcer cries as we enter "They've returned. They've reappeared. It's quite incredible. Bob, this will certainly..."

"Eighty thousand people, so where's the Doctor...?" Rose's voice shakes as her eyes fill with tears, glued to the screen "I need him."

The torch bearer seems to be in a bit of trouble. We did see a flash of lightening earlier which seemed to strike him... erm, maybe he's injured... he's definitely in trouble." The torch bearer collapses. I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth.

"Does this mean that the Olympic Dream is dead?" Moans the commentator

A familiar brown-clad arm picks up the torch.

"Doctor!" gasps Rose, as I giggle "Dad!"

The Doctor starts to run with the torch alongside the crowds.

"There's a mystery man, he's picked up the flame... we've no idea who he is... erm... he's carrying the flame, yes! He's carrying the flame and no one wants to stop him." Kel, Trish and Chloe smile as Rose and I laugh in relief and joy. "It's more than a flame now, Bob. It's more than heat and light. It's hope. And it's courage. And it's love." The commentators say.

The Doctor runs up the red carpeted stairs with the torch, the spot light following him. The Doctor faces the crowds with a huge grin on his face, whooping. He lights the Olympic Flame.

We cheer as he does.

Moments later, he melts into the crowd on the television.

"Well, Wolfe and I better go and look for him. Good luck." Rose says to Kel, Trish and Chloe.

I don't fail to notice Kel looking very affectionately at Trish, and I smile, hoping that Chloe may one day have a wonderful father.

"Don't leave without taking a couple of treats! You've done so much for us!" Trish hops up, and hands us small cakes and cookies, plenty for Rose the Doctor and I.

"Thank you, Trish." Smiles Rose.

"Thank you so, so much for saving Chloe." Trish says as Rose and I start for the door "We'll never forget you."

"No problem. Enjoy the Olympics!" Rose smiles and we walk out into the dusky night.

"Come along. Better head to where we last saw the Doctor." Rose urges me.

We head along the street for about ten minutes, when we see a familiar figure, his hair all stickity uppity and a long brown coat, wandering about, hands in his pockets. Rose creeps up behind him with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Cake?" Rose offers him, and The Doctor turns. She holds out a cupcake of Trish's, decorated with edible ball bearings. He starts to laugh, as does she.  
"Top banana!" He takes a bite out of it whilst Rose watches, grinning from ear to ear. "Mm. I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat, masterpiece!" Rose watches him for a few more seconds and then throws her arms around him, holding him tight.

"Ooh, I thought I'd lost you."

"Nah! Not on a night like this! This is a night for lost things being found!" He swings her around slightly before, setting her down and turning to me.

"Come here, you!"

I spring into his arms and cling tightly to him, happy to have him back

"Have to admit, Dad, Mum did a right nice job without you!"

"Of course she did! I never for a moment thought she wouldn't be able to save Chloe, with or without me."" He shifts me so I'm on his hip and grabs Rose's hand with his free hand.

"Come on!" We walk down the road together.

"What now?" Rose asks

"I wanna go to the games! What we came for!"

"Go on, give us a clue, which events do we do well in?" Rose nudges him

"Well, I will tell you this: Papua New Guinea surprises everyone in the shot put." The Doctor answers, before Rose feeds him another bite of cake

"Really? You're joking, aren't you?" She giggles, before becoming serious when the Doctor says nothing "Doctor, are you serious or are you joking?"

"Wait and see!" laughs the Doctor as Fireworks explode overhead.

"You know what; they keep on trying to split the three of us up, but they never ever will." Rose says, confidently

The Doctor looks at her, coming to a halt. "Never say never ever."

"Nah. We'll always be okay." Rose answers, and the Doctor gives no reply.

"Don't you reckon, Doctor?"

The Doctor looks skywards, reflecting for a moment, as though he senses something.  
"Something in the air. Something coming." He mutters

"What?" I ask

We look up at the sky, which is lit up with fireworks.

"A storm's approaching." He answers, vaguely

Rose glances at him nervously and shivers.

I frown, recalling my vision from so long ago, which still hasn't been correct, of Rose being separated irrevocably from us.

I look up at the sky, before shaking myself.

Everything is going to be just fine.

"Well come on then, no time to waste." The Doctor suddenly grins "back to the Tardis, grab our bags, get to the hotel, read a bit of Harry Potter and Get a good nights rest. What do you think?" He asks

"Sounds Brilliant, Doctor." Rose answers, moving on from the Doctors comment as we pick up the pace. "But since we have a time travelling machine, perhaps we can pick which days of events we want to watch?"

"Not a bad idea." agrees the Doctor as we hurry into the Tardis "I'm thinking the finals of gymnastic and swimming first. You two agree?"

"Yes!" Grin Rose and I

After pressing a few buttons we take off.

Landing just moments later, we hurry into the hotel and unpack.

"Come on! A bit of Harry Potter then bed. I can't believe how far we are into the book already." Rose urges us as we snuggle into bed.

"Doctor you read tonight." I smile up at him and he nods

"Alright then."

He takes the book and begins to read.


	70. Chapter 70

_"Doctor you read tonight." I smile up at him and he nods "Alright then." He takes the book and begins to read._

"Doctor? Doctor, wake up." Rose's voice starts to wake me, and I feel the Doctor shift next to me.

"What, Rose?" He mutters

"Doctor it's my Mum."

The Doctor wakes up quickly. "Here? What? Why?"

"No, back…home…you know, where we left. She's called me and some bloke's been searching for us back home. He tried to seduce her and she's mad as a viper over it, heart broken too I think. She's had such trouble with dating…"

"Why was he looking for us?"

"Doctor, I don't know but he messed with my Mum, so he's gonna get an earful!"

"Rose, we've only just got here…"

I sit, up, wide awake now

"Oi! I don't care! He's upset my Mum, and no one upsets my Mum! Plus Doctor aren't you curious why he went after Mum when he was looking for us?"

The Doctor freezes, his mouth half open, thinking, before he replies, "Fine. We'll come back after we sort out your Mum and see what this bloke is after, yeah?"

"Yeah. Sounds great, now let's get going. Mum said his name was Elton. Said he told her he works down at a, a library of some sort."

"Alright then, Wolfe, we're going to have to postpone part of our little tip here, okay? Gotta go help Rose's Mum." The Doctor says, hopping out of bed.

"And give her a visit while we're at it. Haven't seen her in ages!"

"…and visit her." The Doctor adds, much less enthusiastic.

"Still scared of…." I trail off, looking helplessly at Rose. "Mum…what…what do I call…?" I trail off again,

"Grandmum. She's always wanted a grandchild and she'll be bloody ecstatic to finally have one!" Rose answers, quickly, smiling as she scoops me up. "Come on. I need to change and then we need to find this Elton."

We quickly re pack and get back onto the Tardis.

"Shouldn't take us long. Jackie's not too far away. Maybe ten minutes?"

The Doctor informs us as we take off.

"Oh no Doctor, we're going to have a talk with Elton first. I don't know how, but get the Tardis to track his location because I want a word with him!"

"Alright then, that'll take a bit longer, say twenty minutes?" The Doctor amends, quickly.

"That'll do. We'll get changed, have a talk with Elton, and then stop by for breakfast at Mum's, sound alright?" Rose announces

"Brilliant." The Doctor agrees, as he heads down the hall to his room.

"Wait! What's the weather?" Rose yells as she heads to her room

"Pretty nippy!" The Doctor yells back

I shake my head at them, and go into my room to change. I pull on jeans, a long sleeved cream shirt and a maroon sweatshirt, to match my converse. I tuck my sonic into the pocket of my jeans.

Walking over to the double doors on the far side of my room, I touch my hand against them.

"Are you ready yet?" I ask the Tardis, softly

 _Yes._

Grinning, I open the doors, to reveal the balcony I had asked her to make for me after Barcelona. It wasn't finished when we left for the Olympics, but it is now.

Walking out, I gasp as streaks of color and clouds of light fly in all directions, as we whirl about through space and time.

"Beautiful isn't it?" The Doctor's voice comes from behind me making me jump.

"Yes." I answer, and he walks out to stand next to me.

"Dad what did you mean when you said a storm? Do you really think we'll be separated?"

He looks down at me, some memory hidden in his eyes, and then he looks back out at the colorful world.

"Wolfe, when you've lived a life like mine…for so long…you learn very quickly that perfect moments, happy moment like the ones I've shared with you and Rose…they don't stay that way for long. I've lost so many friends…."

"Then why do you bother travelling with us? Why adopt me?" I ask, hurt slightly

"Because." He smiles down at me "Spending time with you, and the limited time I have with all the brilliant humans…it's worth the pain at the end, and I need it. You and Rose…" He trails off "You're the closest I've come to family in a long, long time. I needed you to know that you are. Wolfe, I am not _good_ …I know you've seen my past, so I wont tell you what I did, but you, and Rose, and all of the people I've travelled with before…they are good. Really Good, and they make me believe I'm good, they teach me all over again how, and that's why I need people like you and Rose. People I…" He stops again, and I stay silent as he whispers the next word "Love."

I wrap my arms around his leg, giving him a tight hug.

He scoops me up so I can give him a proper hug, my arms clasped tightly around his neck.

"Come on you two, we're almost there!" Rose calls from the door.

"Coming Mum!" I call and the Doctor puts me down, so we can get off my balcony and get to the control room.

Rose is dressed in a light blue zip up, underneath a black leather jacket, jeans and a pair of black sneakers.

As we wait to land, Rose is struggling to put her hair in a braid.

"Not again." She snorts, looking into her reflection on the console.

"Come here, I'll do it." The Doctor tells her, from where we're seated.

"You know how to braid hair?"

"Yes! Now come here, what do you want?"

"I don't know, just two braids, one on each side. Keeps my hair of my face."

"Alright, hang on."

The Doctor takes her comb and hair ties, and starts combing it apart, before, with his fingers flying, begins to braid her hair from each side of her forehead, down the side, close to her scalp, and ending in the little tails just above her shoulders.

"All done!" The Doctor announces, as the Tardis wheezes to a stop.

"Thank you Doctor, this actually looks brilliant."

The Doctor hurries out before her, shutting the door behind him.

Rose walks to the door, yanking it open. She looks murderous and advances dangerously on Elton, who I quickly realize was the blonde man from the warehouse a few days ago.

"You upset my mum." Rose snarls at him, as I stand, just in front of the door, which I shut behind me. Elton stares, and then glances at the giant, green alien, with huge tufts of black hair on his head and down his back, covered in human faces around his belly, with a large cane.

"Great big absorbing creature from outer space, and you're having a go at me?" Elton asks, utterly bewildered, as he gestures slightly at the green alien.

"No one upsets my Mum." Rose repeats, furious.

"At last. The greatest feast of all. The Doctor." The alien says, and the Doctor finally seems to notice it.

"What's this thing? A sort Absorbatrix? Absorba... clon? Absorbaloff?" The Doctor says, considering it, somewhat distastefully

"Absorbaloff, yes."

"Is it me or is he a bit... Slitheen?" Rose asks the Doctor, also finally acknowledging the absorbaloff.

"Not from Raxacoricofallapatorius, are you?" The Doctor asks him, calmly

"No! I'm not the swine! I spit on them!" the absorbaloff answers, furiously insulted "I was born on their twin planet!"

"Really? What's the twin planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius?" The Doctor asks, impressed

"Clom." Answers the absorbaloff, anticlimactically

"Clom." Repeats the doctor, looking for all the world like he's about to laugh

"Clom." Repeats the Absorbaloff, deadly serious, "Yes. And I'll return there victorious, whilst I possess your travelling machine." He gestures towards the Tardis.

"Well, that's never gonna happen." The Doctor answers skeptically, while Rose is still staring daggers at a vastly bewildered Elton.  
"Oh, it will. You'll surrender yourself to me, Doctor, or this one dies." The absorbaloff gestures to Elton. "You see, I've read about you, Doctor. I've studied you. So passionate, so sweet. You wouldn't let an innocent man die. And I'll absorb him - unless you give yourself to me."

Rose looks up at the Doctor, amused. He scratches the back of his neck. "Sweet... maybe." He glances down at me "Passionate... I suppose." His eyes flash to Rose

"But don't ever mistake that for nice. Do what you want." And he waits, as though completely indifferent about what happens to Elton. Rose glances up at him again.

"He'll die, Doctor." Warns the Absorbaloff

"Go on then." Nods the Doctor, and I frown at him slightly.

The Absorbaloff hesitates, completely wrong-footed. Even Rose looks slightly worried.

"So be it." Agrees the Absorbaloff. He turns to Elton.

"Mind you, the others might have something to say." The Doctor quickly buts in

"Others?" demands the Absorbaloff

"He's right. The Doctor's right. We can't let him. Oh, Mr Skinner... Bridget... Pull!" Yells one of the faces on the alien's stomach, with a pair of pink glasses, and they all start tugging their face in different directions.

"No!" the Absorbaloff groans

"For God's sake, pull!" the same face cries again, and I gasp in delight as I realized the Doctor's plan.

"No, don't, get off, get off!" The three faces strain outwards, stretching the Absorbaloff apart.  
"If it's the last thing we ever do, Bliss! All of us together! Come on! Pull!" the face continues to encourage her friends

The Absorbaloff wails in pain and panic.

"LINDA united!" continues the face "Pull!"

The Absorbaloff drops his cane

"Elton! The cane!" cries the face

Elton picks it up.

"Break it!" Commands the face and Elton snaps the cane in half, and it emits a shower of blue sparks. The hands on the end open outwards, revealing a glowing light.

"My cane! You stupid man... oh no!" The Absorbaloff roars as he turns into liquid and falls into the pavement, gone.

"... What did I do?" Elton asks in a small voice

"The cane created a limitation field. Now it's broken, he can't stopped. The absorber is being absorbed." The Doctor answers, somewhat admiringly as he stares at the bubbling remains of the Absorbaloff.

"By what?" I ask, stepping forwards

"By the Earth." The Absorbaloff dissolves into the paving stones. For a fleeting moment, the shape of the face with the glasses appears on one. Elton lunges towards her.

"Bye bye, Elton. Bye bye." She whimpers, and she sinks back into the paving slab. A tear runs down Elton's cheek. Rose's anger has melted away, as she looks at Elton's crying form "Who was she?" she asks softly

"That was Ursula." He answers, and from his tone alone I can hear how much he loved her.

Rose looks at him for a moment, and then goes to him and puts her arms around his shoulders as he weeps quietly.

"You don't remember, do you?" the Doctor says to us, and we look up to see his shoulders hunched with some unfortunate burden. "All those years ago. There was a living shadow in the darkness. An elemental shade had escaped from the Howling Halls. All those years ago…" My eyes widen as I realize the Elton we're comforting is the same one who lost him Mum just days ago in our time. A troubled Doctor looks down at Elton. "I stopped it, but... I wasn't in time to save her." He looks Elton in the eyes "I'm sorry."

Elton looks at him, in complete loss of what to say "That was the night my mother died." He whispers

"Yes." The Doctor answers, and he lets the silence hang there

"And now, my Ursula…" he looks over at the pavement where the Absorbaloff had been absorbed.

"Yes." Murmurs the Doctor, walking over to the spot, and kneeling down, looking almost mournful.

I walk over to him, about to comfort him, when I saw he had his sonic out.

"If I can key into the absorption matrix and separate the last victim... it's too late for total reconstruction, but..." he turns on his sonic, holing it to the pavement stone, and slowly Ursula began to return.

He stands and looks back to Elton and Rose, eyes wide.

"Elton! Fetch a spade!" He orders.

Elton leaps up, and runs into a building nearby, before returning with a shovel.

"Here!"

The Doctor had managed to reconstruct Ursula's face, and hold it in the pavement stone. He took the shovel and lifts the stone from the dirt, handing it to Elton.

"'S the best I could do." Apologizes the Doctor.

"No, this is brilliant Doctor, thank you, thank you!" Elton says, hugging it to his chest as Ursula echoes Elton's thanks.

"Don't upset my Mum again." Rose orders, much less sternly as we start back to the ship.

"I-I won't! Thank you!" Elton calls back

Rose steps back onboard the Tardis.

"Elton." The Doctor turns back "Why were you trying to find us?"

Elton looks at the Doctor, and laughs slightly "Because you're the Doctor! You…you help people, you travel everywhere and you mean something to us…to LINDA…that was our group, just a couple of mates who dreamed of meeting the man who had done so much and asked for nothing in return."

"Ah." The Doctor answers, "Well it was a pleasure to meet you"

"And you Doctor. It was such an honor."

The Doctor nods, and then steps into the Tardis, while I follow.

"Dad." I whisper to him, before he moves further in the doorway.

"See? You are good."

He smiles down at me, before scooping me up and saying, loudly "Off to Jackie's then!" He yanks various levers on the Tardis after depositing me on his favorite chair.

We take off again "Should only be a minute." He adds

When a minute passes, then two, then four, Rose looks skeptically at the Doctor.  
"We are landing at Mum's right?"

"Yes, we are!" The Doctor defends.

"Oh no!" Groans Rose, and she starts tugging out her braids

"What? Stop that I just did that!" the Doctor cries, annoyed

"I know, but I forgot Mum hates it when I wear my hair like this."

"What's wrong with braids? I love braids!" The Doctor protests as Rose starts untying the other braid.

"She says I look like some type of stupid schoolgirl." Rose adds as she takes her comb form where it was left on the seat and starts coming her now unbraided hair.

"Your Mum would say that." Mutters the Doctor, pouting.

"What did you say about my Mum?" Rose demands

"Nothing!" The Doctor answers quickly, winking at me, while I giggle.

"I like my hair in a braid!" I tell the Doctor "Will you braid it?"

"Yes I will!" The Doctor puffs his chest out, as he takes one of Rose's unused hair ties and the comb and neatly braids my hair down my back.

"There we are!" he smiles at me, before looking up, to find Rose gone.

"Mum! Look at my hair!" I call and Rose reappears with a large, red rucksack on her shoulder, and without her leather jacket.

"What's that for?" The Doctor asks, bewildered. The Tardis starts to land and Rose says, "Wolfe you hair looks beautiful and Doctor, I have a bit of laundry."

"If you put it in the closet the Tardis will-"

"I know, but my Mum needs to feel like I need her still okay?" Rose sighs as she walks to the door, opening and marching out.

The Doctor and I follow Rose from the Tardis, and we appear to be in a children's playground.

"Come on." Grins Rose, and she sets off towards the flats on the Powell Estate with a spring in her step, obviously happy.

I look up at the Doctor and his eyes are soft with affection.

"Come on then!" Rose turns, offering her hand, and the Doctor springs to life, grabbing my hand and hurrying to grab hers and we march off again.


	71. Chapter 71

_"_ _Come on then!" Rose turns, offering her hand, and the Doctor springs to life, grabbing my hand and hurrying to grab hers and we march off again._

When Rose opens the front door, and calls inside as we pile into the small entranceway "Mum, it's us! We're ba-ack!"

Jackie, excited, hurries into the room

"Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone! You never use it!" she cries, half exasperated and half excited

"We came didn't we? Shut up, come here!" They throw their arms around each other.

"Oh, I love you!" Jackie grins

"I love you!" Rose answers

"I love you so much!" Jackie repeats

The Doctor squeezes past them, trying to sidle off, but Jackie's spots him.

"Oh no you don't. Come here!" She pulls him towards her and plants a big kiss on him, despite his weak protests. "Oh, you lovely big fella! Oh, you're all mine!" She squeals and he looks over at me in horror

"Just... just... just put me down!" he manages

"Yes, you are" Jackie kisses him again and then walks off, leaving the Doctor to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, looking for all the world like a little boy with an over-affectionate mother.

"And how are you miss Wolfe!" Jackie bends down to scoop me in a fierce hug.

I am grateful that she's in a navy blue tracksuit so our skin doesn't touch.

"Very well, thank you, nice to see you again, Grandmum." I giggle, tugging from her grasp, and following Rose and the Doctor into the sitting room.

"Grandmum?" Shrieks Jackie from the other room, before barging in. "Grandmum?" She repeats, utterly lost.

"Mum…" I look at Rose, as Jackie looks at me in shock

Jackie's eyes travel to Rose, who quickly fills in "We adopted her. The Doctor and I adopted Wolfe." Explains Rose, and Jackie, to her credit, breaks into a huge smile "I'm a Grandmum!"

"Told you." Whispers Rose to the Doctor, before walking to her Mum, depositing her rucksack into Jackie's arms

"I've got loads of washing for ya! And, I got you this!"

Rose digs through the red bag and produces a tiny ornate bottle with a wide grin "It's from the market on this planet called Barcelona. Went there on vacation. It's made of um..." she turns to the Doctor "what's it called?"

I turn to see the Doctor is flicking through magazines, which are lying on the table.

"Bezoolium." He answers her, not looking up

"Bezoolium. When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's gonna rain, when it's hot, it's gonna be sunny! You can use it to tell the weather!" Rose hands it to her, and Jackie spends about a second looking at it before she says

"I've got a surprise for you and all."

"Oh, I get her bezoolium, she doesn't even say "thanks"." Rose mutters to us before Jackie announces

"Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time, he'll be here at ten past! Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Rose groans, as we follow Jackie

"Oh go on, guess!"

"No, I hate guessing. Just tell me." Rose groans

"It's your Grandad. Grandad Prentice. He's on his way. Any minute!" Jackie laughs and Rose stares. "Right, cup of tea!" Jackie gasps before she disappears into the kitchen. Rose stares after her. The Doctor appears at her shoulder.

"She's gone mad." Murmurs Rose

"Tell me something new." Snorts the Doctor

"Grandad Prentice, that's her dad. But he died like, ten years ago. Oh my God. She's lost it." She mutters to us before she starts after Jackie "Mum?"

The Doctor and I follow her, all of us crowded in the kitchen doorway as if we don't want to get too close to Jackie or we may spook her

"What you just said about grandad..." Rose starts, carefully

"Any second now." Nods Jackie, ecstatic

"But... he passed away. His heart gave out. Do you remember that?" Rose gently continues  
"Course I do!" Nods Jackie

"Then how can he come back?" Rose finishes

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" she checks her watch "Ten past. Here he comes!"

I gasp as right before our eyes, a figure steps out of nowhere in the middle of kitchen. It's featureless, like a shadow, but definitely humanoid. It stands beside Jackie.

"Here we are, then!" Jackie says, proudly

We just stare, dumbstruck.

"Dad... say hello to Rose. Ain't she grown?"

"Come on!" The Doctor grabs me around the waist, and takes Rose's hand and run out of Jackie's flat and come to a halt, looking around.

"They're everywhere!" Gasps the Doctor, setting me down.

Sure enough, the ghosts are everywhere, standing around just like ordinary people. No one seems to be remotely alarmed by their presence. A group of boys carry on with their ball game, just as normal. Rose turns.

"Doctor how long did we overshoot the target year?" Scolds Rose

"By about two years." Mutters the Doctor

"Doctor!" Scolds Rose

"Doctor, look out!" I warn as a ghost walks right through the Doctor, causing him discomfort but no pain.

"They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade." Pants Jackie as she catches up to us.

"What do you mean, shift? Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts? What's going on?" The Doctor cries, utterly confused

"Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie smirks at us

"But no one's running or screaming or freaking out or... " The Doctor adds, confused

"Why should we?" shrugs Jackie checking her watch "Here we go. Twelve minutes past." Jackie smiles at Rose, biting her lip with anticipation.

The ghosts disappear. The Doctor glances around, looking even more confused than he did before.

"Come on, let's head back, have a cup a tea and I'll explain." Jackie urges us and we head back to the flat.

We go into the sitting room, holding our teas, and Jackie turns on the television.

The Doctor is sat on the floor in front of Jackie's television, with me in his lap. Jackie is sitting on the sofa and Rose is perched on the arm. A programme called "Ghostwatch" comes on.  
"On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge." A presenter speaks, and there's a cut to footage of the ghosts milling around Westminster Bridge.

"It's almost like a military display..." adds the presenter and the Doctor's brow furrows "What the hell's going on?" he grabs the remote and He changes channel to what would appear to be a weather report, but instead of weather symbols, there are little pictures of ghosts on the map of the UK. "And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts. From London, through the North and up into Scotland. Turn over to the Trisha Goddard chat show!" The caption at the bottom of the screen proclaims

'I married a dead man!'

"So basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost?" the woman, Trisha, says to Eileen, who is sat in front of the studio audience with a ghost hovering around by the other chair.

"He's my ghost and I love him, 24/7!" she cries, cncouraging round of applause from the audience.

My jaw drops

The Doctor changes the channel.

"Well, no one needs me anymore!" A man says, before the Doctor changes the channel again. This time, it's a cheesy advert; a housewife in a flowery apron addresses the camera in her kitchen while a sad-looking animated ghost hovers around above the worktop.

"My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered... Ectoshine!"

With an expression of complete bewilderment, the Doctor changes the channel again.

Now we're on a French news channel.

"Et le President d'aujourd'hui, quelle est.." There is a cut to footage of the ghosts wandering around the Eiffel Tower. The channel changes to an Indian news report. Ghosts are milling around the Taj Mahal. The Doctor presses the change channel button again almost frantically and it switches to an enthusiastic Japanese Newsreader. The Doctor puts his head in his hands.

"Oh, yes!" Squeals Jackie

The screen Cuts to footage of three excited Japanese girls, all screeching wildly and showing off their ghost tee-shirts.

The Doctor looks up just enough the change the channel again

"It's all over the world." He groans.

An episode of Eastenders. Peggy Mitchell is behind the bar of the Vic, having a go at a ghost.

"Listen to me, Denn Watts. I don't care if you have come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me, get out!"

The Doctor's had enough. He switches off the TV and turns to Jackie. "When did it start?" he demands

"Well first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down..." Jackie answers, thinking he means the television show

"No, I mean worldwide." The Doctor corrects her

Rose smirks.

"Oh! That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were, ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that, whole planet was panicking... no sign of you, thank you very much... then it sort of sank in. Took us time to realise that... we're lucky." Shrugs Jackie

"What makes you think it's grandad?" Rose asks

"Just feels like him. There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?"

"I wish I could, mum, but I can't." Rose answers

"You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it, sweetheart." Jackie sighs

the Doctor perks up at this "The more you want it, the stronger it gets?" "Sort of, yeah." Nods Jackie

"Like a psychic link." Mutters the Doctor "Course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in."

"You're spoiling it." Pouts Jackie

"I'm sorry, Grandmum, but there's no smell, there's no cigarettes. Just a memory." I explain to her

"But if they're not ghosts, what are they, then?" Rose asks

"Yeah, but they're human! You can see them, they look human!" Jackie adds, suddenly hopeful again

"She's got a point. I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people." Nods Rose

"Maybe not. They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot." And with that, he stands, and takes off out of the flat.

"Again?" whines Jackie as I hop to my feet, followed by Rose and we take off after him. He enters the tardis and we follow.

By the time we enter, he's yanking things like scraps of metal and bits of wire around, yanking things out of the console and shoving things into the console.

"Rose I need a newspaper!" He orders and with a roll of her eyes, Rose heads back out of the Tardis.

"You ought to stop ordering her around." I chastise lightly

"Why?' He asks as he starts hammering something

"Because she's not going to be around forever."

"I know that." He sounds much less joyful now

"And if you keep treating her like an assistant she'll never know."

"Never know?"

He sits up, looking at me in confusion.

"Dad I am not daft."

He still sits there, like a puppy waiting for a bone

"But you are." I tease

"Oi!"

"You love her. You never say it. You've said I love you to the Tardis, to your sonic and even to me. But never her. Why not her?"

He turns away from me, and wedges himself under the console again

"Dad."

"Because Rose is…Rose is special. She's the most brilliant, courageous and beautiful human I've ever met…and I don't want her to leave."

"Mum doesn't think she's special! She thinks she's lucky. Lucky to get to be worthy of travelling with you. Telling her all of that wouldn't make her leave! It would make her want to stay more! You know that too Dad, you're just scared! Tell me Dad. Have you ever told Mum any of that?"

"No." He mutters, and before I can say anything else, Rose, holding a newspaper, strides into the Tardis.

"According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds." She peers down at him, "Now don't tell me you're gonna sit back and do nothing." The Doctor suddenly pops up from underneath the grilling, bopping insanely and accompanied by the tune of Ghostbusters. He's holding an odd looking device in one hand and wearing a rucksack.

"Where did you even…" I start, not recognizing any of his get up.

"Who're you gonna call?" He grins at us, a goofy look on his face, hiding any of the motion he just showed to me moments ago

"Ghostbusters!" Laughs Rose

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" he yells, as he bounds out of the Tardis, Rose and I following him and giggling.


	72. Chapter 72

_"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" he yells, as he bounds out of the Tardis, Rose and I following him and giggling._

Jackie's waiting for us outside. He arranges three cone devices in a triangle shape.

"When's the next shift?" He asks Jackie

"Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?" Orders Jackie

"Triangulates their point of origin." The Doctor explains

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Suggests Rose

"Nah." The Doctor disagrees

Rose shakes her head as though this was the answer she was expecting. "They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper." Explains the Doctor

"You're always doing this. Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real?" Jackie chastises "Just think of it, though... all the people we've lost, our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

The Doctor pauses in his work, meeting her eyes for the first time.

"I think it's horrific." He says, voice low

Jackie looks shocked.

"Rose, give us a hand." He glances at me "please."

He starts unwinding a cable, leading it though into the Tardis, Rose and I following. He plugs it into the console. Jackie steps inside and closes the door behind her.

"As soon as it becomes activated, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop..." He brandishes the sonic screwdriver under Rose's nose, who goes cross-eyed trying to focus on it. "Setting 15B, hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop."

"15B, eight seconds." Rose repeats

"If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left."

"Hang on a minute, I know..." Rose leans over the console, pointing out a button.

"It's that one." She says

"Mm, close." The Doctor encourages

"That one?" Rose points to another button

"Nnnnow you've just killed us." Winces the Doctor. Rose giggles. Neither of them notice the way Jackie's looking at them.

"Eh... that one." Rose points to a third button

"Yeah! Now, what've we got? Two minutes to go?" He looks over at Jackie, who checks her watch.

"Yes. I still don't understand-" she starts, but the Doctor is and out the door a second later.

"Wolfe, come here!"

I follow, him back outside

"Okay stand in the doors and tell each of us what the other oen says, says, yeah?"

"On it!" I nod

"aaaaand Go!" the Doctor yells

"Go!" I yell to Rose

Rose plunges the sonic screwdriver into a port on the console and at the same moment, the Doctor presses the device he was holding earlier onto one of the cones. He proceeds to do the same to the other two, shouting

"What's the line doing?"

"What is the line doing?" I yell

"It's all right, it's holding!" Rose yells back

"Holding!" I yell to the Doctor

"You even look like him?" Jackie says softly to Rose, after contemplating her

"How d'you mean?" Rose smiles "I s'pose I do, yeah."

"You've changed so much." Murmurs Jackie

"For the better..." Rose nods

" I s'pose." Whispers Jackie

"Mum, I used to work in a shop." Snorts Rose,

"I've worked in shops. What's wrong with that?" Defends Jackie

"No, I didn't mean that." Rose says, sighing

"I know what you meant. What happens when I'm gone?" Jackie continues her harsh tone

"Don't talk like that!" Rose gasps

"No, but really. When I'm dead and buried, you won't have any reason to come back home. What happens then?" Demands Jackie

"I don't know." Whispers Rose

"Do you think you'll ever settle down?"

"Well, since we've added Wolfe our lives are a bit more domestic I suppose but…the Doctor probably never will, so I can't. I'll just keep on travelling."

"And you'll keep on changing. And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman... walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. She's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human..." Jackie says to her and I see the hurt on Rose's face

"What's it say?" the Doctor yells

"What's It say?" I ask, regretful to break their conversation

"The scanner's working, it says "delta one six"."

"Delta One six!" I yell back, and the Doctor stands, facing the centre of the triangle. "Come on you beauty!" He cackles, positively jiggling with anticipation. As the Doctor watches the triangle, a ghost materialises in its centre. As it does so, the cones are connected with blue electricity, which in turn connects over the top of the ghost, encompassing it in a kind of electric blue pyramid. The Doctor puts on a pair of 3D spectacles, the same ones from our time at the Rockettes, and watches the ghost. He then bends down and adjusts a setting on his equipment, a green light blips. The Doctor continues to adjust the knob. The ghost shudders and groans.

"Don't like that much, do you? Who are you? Where are you coming from? Whoa!" He has just received what seems like an electric shock from the ghost, and he stumbles backwards. "That's more like it! Not so friendly now, are you?" He demands

The ghost continues to shudder and jerk within the Doctor's triangle, and then suddenly the ghost disappears. The Doctor immediately darts forward and begins gathering up his equipment. He then rushes over to the Tardis, dumps his equipment on the floor, rips of his jacket, tossing it onto a railing

"I said so! Those ghosts have been forced into existence for one specific point! And I can track down the source. Allons-y!" He pulls down a lever. The Tardis shudders and he and Rose fall backwards onto the chair, while I stumble into a railing, before straightening myself out and pulling myself into another chair as the rotor rises and falls. The Doctor twiddles knobs on the console, nattering away to himself.

"I like that. "Allons-y". I should say "allons-y" more often. "Allons-y". Watch out, Rose Tyler! Allons-y! And then, it would be really brilliant if I met someone called Allonzo. Because then I could say, "allons-y, Allonzo!" Every time! You're staring at me." Rose has been listening to the Doctor rattle off with a strange smile on her face.

"My mum's still on board." Rose smirks at the Doctor, who looks up to see that sure enough, Jackie's sitting up in the gantries, legs dangling.

"If we end up on Mars, I'm gonna kill you." Jackie folds her arms. The Doctor stares at her, horrified. Rose smirks. Suddenly the monitor springs to life, revealing huge amounts of heavily armed men rushing into the storage area where we've just landed.

"Oh, well there goes the advantage of surprise. Still!" He turns to Rose and I "Stay in here, look after Jackie." He makes towards the doors.

"I'm not looking after my mum!" Whines Rose

"Well, you brought her!" snorts the Doctor

"I was kidnapped!" Jackie Indignantly replies

Rose pushes past the Doctor and blocks the doorway so he can't get past.

"Doctor, they've got guns." She warns, worried

"And I haven't. Which makes me the better person, don't you think?" He catches her round the waist and moves her smoothly out of the way.

"They can shoot me dead, but the moral high-ground is mine!" And with that, he opens the door and steps through it. Rose, Jackie and I rush to the door, and open it just a crack to watch as the Doctor raises his hands. The soldiers release the safety catches on their guns, every single one is pointed at the Doctor. A very uptight looking woman hurries into the room, running towards the Doctor.

"Oh...! Oh, how marvellous." She claps "Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!" The soldiers follow suit, applauding him. The Doctor doesn't quite know what to make of this reception. He lowers his hands tentatively.

"Um. Thanks. Nice to meet you. I'm... the Doctor."

And that sets them all off clapping again. I snort with laughter

"Oh, I should say! Hurray!"

"You... you've heard of me, then?" he says, curious

"Well of course we have. And I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here. The Doctor and the Tardis...!" Overcome, she starts the applause again. The Doctor, clearly enjoying this just a little bit, gestures for silence.

"And... and... and you are?" He asks

"Oh, plenty of time for that. But according to the records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor and his companion. That's a pattern isn't it, right?" The Doctor stares at her.

"There's no point hiding anything. Not from us" her voice has suddenly adopted a slightly sinister quality "So where is she?"

"... Yes! Sorry. Good point. She's just a bit shy, that's all." He opens the door just a tiny bit more, grabs onto Jackie and pulls her out.

"But here she is: Rose Tyler."


	73. Chapter 73

_He opens the door just a tiny bit more, grabs onto Jackie and pulls her out. "But here she is: Rose Tyler."_

Rose and I are left inside to listen to proceedings, not making a sound. The Doctor looks Jackie up and down.

"Hmm. She's not the best I've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that." He mimes chatting. Jackie glares at him, Rose and I hold back our snorts. Yvonne laughs.

"And just last week, she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex and aged fifty-seven years. But she'll do."

"I'm 40!" Snarls Jackie while Rose and I laugh quietly

"Deluded. Bless. I'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone? She's very good at tea. Well, I say very good, I mean not bad. Well. I say not bad... anyway! Lead on. But not too fast. Her ankle's going."

Yvonne turns to lead the way. The Doctor and Jackie follow.

"I'll show you where my ankle's going." We hear Jackie hiss as they walk away

"What are we going to do?" I whisper

"The Doctor has given us a chance to sneak about, so let's go." Rose goes to the door, but then there's a sound of a crane and we struggle to keep our footing as the Tardis is trundled off somewhere.

"Fantastic." Groans Rose, sitting so she doesn't fall.

I sit beside her, and lean my head on her shoulder.

"Tired?" She murmurs

"Yeah. And Hungry."

"Yeah." She nods, leaning her head on mine

"You know, Grandmum was wrong. You're so much better than you were, because now you feel like you have a purpose, and that's the most important thing in life." I tell her.

"Maybe." She sighs

"Really, Mum. You've done so much more than most people on this planet can imagine. You're amazing and you're fantastic and there's nothing wrong with change."

"Thank you." She kisses the side of my head

"And the Doctor sees that in you too."

"Maybe." She sighs

"You two are my Mum and Dad. You took me in when I had been an outcast my whole life. You've defeated Cybermen, Werewolves, droids, a crazy lady on TV and a hospital full of cat nuns together. You two are a team. And you Rose, are what are what makes the Doctor stops when he goes to far, and he guides you further than you've ever gone before. He's your compass, and you're his anchor."

"Yeah." Murmurs Rose, smiling to herself.

With a creak and a groan we stop moving.

Rose and I look at each other with excitement.

I hop up and peer out the door again, but there isn't much to see.

Rose rummages through the Doctor's jacket, until she finds the psychic paper.

After a couple of moments of silence, Rose hisses to me "come on, we've got to snoop around if we're going to understand anything."

We tentatively step outside the Tardis doors and find ourselves in a tucked away corner of the factory floor. We quickly dodge out of sight of two men talking; we try to go the other way but two soldiers approach.

Rose grabs me back and we wait until they are gone, and then quickly she grabs a discarded white lab coat, putting it on. "Follow me, but if anyone asks say you're the child of someone who works here and you got lost, yeah?"

"Okay." I nod, then she then walks confidently out into the open and no one gives her a second glance. I follow, trying to look as lost as I can, while still following Rose. She spots one man striding purposefully through a door and follows him. I quickly trail her, into the door and down a long corridor. She breaks into a jog, and so do I as the man she's following rounds a corner, and we hear the sound of a door opening and closing. She peers cautiously around the corner and then approaches the door. I stand next to her.

"How does it work?" I whisper

"Not sure." She shakes her head. "But I thought I saw some bloke kiss it earlier, that's worth a shot." Shrugs Rose, kissing the psychic paper before pressing it against the lock. The door slides open.

Rose she walks slowly into the large room, which has a huge, coppery sphere in it. Rose and I stare at it in awe.

"Can I help you?" I look away form the spear to see the man we were following looking at Rose. "I was just..." Rose starts, not looking away from the orb

"Try not to look. It does that to everyone. What do you want?" he demands

"Sorry. Um... they sent me from personnel. They said some man had been taken prisoner. Some sort of Doctor? I'm just... checking the lines of communication, did they tell you anything?" Rose asks, playing her part beautifully

"Who's the kid?"

"Oh, I don't know. Found her wandering about and thought she'd be safer if she wasn't let loose. I was going to drop her off in a moment, but you were on the way."

"Can I see your autorisation?" sighs the man

"... Sure." Rose hands him the psychic paper. He checks it.

"That's lucky." Rose smiles. "You see, everyone at Torchwood"

The blood pounds in my ears as I look in horror at him.

 _This place is Torchwood?_

"…has at least a basic level of psychic training." Finishes the man and Rose's smile fades. "This paper is blank. And you're a fake. Seal the room. Call security." He orders into his comm. The doors close. R

"Samuel? Can you check the door locks? She just walked right in." the man orders the other man in the room

"Samuel" turns, only it's not Samuel. It's Mickey

"Doing it now, sir." Rose stares at him. He puts a finger to his lips and gives her the thumbs up, grinning.

"Well. If you'd like to take a seat." Rose nods, seemingly lost for words.

"I take it you are her partner?" he grabs me and roughly shoves me next to her.

He grabs a screen, walking back over to us.

"Yvonne? I think you should see this. We've got two visitors. We don't know who they are, but funnily enough, they arrived at the same time as the Doctor." The man says into the screen

"Are they one of yours?" the uptight woman, Yvonne, asks him

"Never seen them before in my life." Shrugs the Doctor

"Good! Then we can have them shot." Yvonne orders the man

"Oh all right then, it'll be worth a try. That's... that's Rose Tyler and the younger girl is Wolfe."

"Sorry." Rose waves "Hello!" The Doctor waves back.

"Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's she?" demands Yvonne, gesturing to Jackie

"I'm her mother." Jackie answers

"Oh, you travel with her mother?" Yvonne snorts

"He kidnapped me." Defends Jackie

"Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people I travelled through time and space with her mother..." winces the Doctor

"Charming." Snarls Jackie

"I've got a reputation to uphold!" the Doctor cries back.

There is a rumbling noise, and Yvonne stands and addresses the staff. "Excuse me? Everyone? I thought I said stop the ghost shift! Who started the program? But... I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that?! She points to the lever which is rising upwards of its own accord. Step away from the monitors, everyone! Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing, right now! Matt. Step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers!"

I can't see who she's yelling at but from the look on the Doctor's face, it isn't good. "Stop the levers!" The doctor, Jackie and Yvonne walk out of the screen

"Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled!" the man says into the comm

Mickey, who is checking the locks, glances over his shoulder.

"What's going on?" demands the man. There is no response "Yvonne?"

The whole chamber suddenly shudders; the disturbance has come from the sphere.

"It can't be." Gasps the man

All four of us hurry over to it. There's another crash from within.

"It's active!" gasps the man "We've got a problem down here. Yvonne, can you hear me?" the man is now hysterical and The sphere is vibrating. "Yvonne, for God's sake, the sphere is active! The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field, it exists!" He jumps and turns around to a crash behind him, the door closing.

"The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine, we can't get out!" He rushes off.

We are left looking up at the sphere.

"It's all right. We beat them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on." Mickey says

The sphere continues to vibrate.

"The fight against what?" I demand

"What d'you think?" Mickey snorts.

We stumble as two violent crashes emit from the sphere, shaking the chamber

Another crash emits from the sphere.

"We had them beaten, but then they escaped. The Cybermen just vanished. They found a way through to this world, but, so did we.

"The Doctor said that was impossible." Gasps Rose

"Yeah, well it's not the first time he's been wrong." Mickey retorts

"What's inside that sphere?" Rose asks as there's another crash.

"No one knows. Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen... whatever it is..." he grins "He's dead meat."

"It's good to see you." Rose smiles and nudges him

"Yeah. It's good to see you too." He smiles back, before he looks over at me

"And you Wolfe."

"Nice to see you Mickey." I smile at him and there's another crash.

The light starts to spill from the sphere.

"I know what's in there. And I'm ready for them. I've got just the thing." Mickey assures us as he retrieves a weapon that he had been hiding under a counter, and then positions himself in front of the sphere. "This is gonna blast them to Hell."

"Samuel, what are you doing?" Demands the man, when he returns

"The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth." Mickey cocks his gun as the sphere parts further. The top part of a strange looking alien emerges from the sphere...

"That's not Cybermen..." gasps Mickey

Four salt-shaker shaped aliens glide smoothly from the sphere.

"Oh my God." Rose gasps

"Location: Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!" Its harsh voice yells

Mickey aims his gun at them. Rose stares at them in wide-eyed fear. "Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"


	74. Chapter 74

_Mickey aims his gun at them. Rose stares at them in wide-eyed fear. "Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"_

The aliens advance upon us with cries of "exterminate! ".

"Daleks!" Rose yells and they fall silent, taken aback.

"You're called "Daleks"." Rose tells them and the Daleks do not respond, seeming to simply observe her. Rose walks towards them.

"I know your name." She takes her lab coat off "Think about it: how can I know that? A Human... who knows about the Daleks. And the Time War. If you wanna know how, then keep us alive. That's all I'm asking. Me and my friends."

"Yeah, Daleks. Time War. Me too." Mickey Agrees, Quickly

"Yep." I nod

The Dalek's eye-piece swivels around to look at us.

"Yeah. And me." Agrees the scientist

"You will be necessary." One Dalek says to us, before turning to another Dalek "What is the status of the Genesis Ark

"Status: hibernation." Responds the second Dalek

"Commence awakening." Orders the first

"The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else." A third Dalek says, of the four.

The Dalek turns to the "Genesis Ark", a large piece of machinery which also emerged from the sphere. The Dalek clamps its suction arm to the side of the Ark.

"The Daleks, you said they were all dead." Mickey whispers to us as he continues to point his gun at the Daleks

"Never mind that, what the hell's a Genesis Ark?" demands Rose

"Which of you is least important?" Demands one of the Daleks

"What's that supposed to mean?" snorts Rose

"Which of you is least important?" It repeats

"No, we don't work like that. None of us." Rose answers

"Designate the least important!" It yells

"This is my responsibility." The scientist says, stepping forward

"No, don't!" Rose cries, holding him back. He ignores her and stands before the Dalek dejectedly.

"I er, I represent the Torchwood Institute. Anything you need, you... come through me. Leave these three alone."

"You will kneel." Orders the Dalek

"What for?" asks the scientist

"Kneel." Orders the Dalek and he kneels. The surrounding Daleks direct their eye stalks onto him.

"The Daleks need information about current Earth history." Explains the Dalek

"Yeah well I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise Home Land security..." The scientist starts

"Speech is not necessary. We will extract brainwaves." The three Daleks advance upon the scientist and position their suction arms around his head. The man is showing the first signs of fear.

"Don't... I... I'll tell you everything you need. No. No!" He shouts out in agony before the Daleks crush his skull.

I scream and Rose pulls me towards her, holding me against her, while the scientist's body falls to the ground, dead.

"We have our information. Dalek Thay, go and we will establish connection."

We watch as "Dalek Thay" leaves the sphere chamber.

"Establish visual contact. Lower communications barrier." Orders one of the threee remaining Daleks

A projection appears in the area previously occupied by the sphere, showing what must be Dalek Thay's point of view. He meets with two Cybermen.

"Oh my god, Cybermen too." Gasps Rose, and Mickey glares at the screen

"Identify yourselves." Orders Dalek Thay

"You will identify first." Responds one Cyberman

"State your identity."

"You will identify first."

"Identify!" shrieks Dalek Thay

"It's like Stephen Hawkins meets the Speaking Clock." Snorts Mickey

"Shh." Hisses Rose, listening to their conversation

"...illogical, you will modify." Finishes the Cyberman,

"Daleks do not take orders."

"You have identified as Daleks" the Cyberman says,

"Outline resembles the inferior species known as "Cybermen"." Responds Dalek Thay

Rose's phone starts to buzz and she answers her phone, but no one is willing to speak, because the Daleks and Cybermen are caught up in their banter and the longer they talk, undistracted, the longer Mickey, Rose and I live.

"We must protect the Genesis Ark!" Screeches one of the Daleks with us

"Our species our similar, though your design is inelegant."

"Daleks have no concept of elegance."

"This is obvious."

I snort back laughter

"But consider, our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks, together, we could upgrade the Universe."

"You propose an alliance?" The Daleks ask and we wait with bated breath.

If the Daleks and Cybermen joined forces they would be unstoppable.

"This is correct." The Cyberman says

"Request denied." Responds the Dalek and we all sigh with relief The Cybermen immediately thrust their fists out, ready to shoot.

"Hostile elements will be deleted." They shoot at the Dalek, but the rays simply bounce off its armor.

"Exterminate!" The Dalek aims at both Cybermen, one after the other, and they collapse onto the floor.

Suddenly the projector screen changes to show a Cyberman.

"Daleks, be warned: you have declared war upon the Cybermen."

"This is not war. This is pest control." Responds the Dalek, and I have to hide a laugh again

"What is so funny?" Hisses Rose

"They're insulting each other." I answer

"You've spent too much time with the doctor." She whispers

"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?" The Cyberman says, and Mickey practically growls

"Four." Answers the Dalek

"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?" the Cyberman asks

"We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek. You are superior in only one respect." A Dalek yells

"What is that?" Responds the cyberman

"You are better at dying. Raise communications barrier!"

The screen goes static. I fight back a snort of laughter

"Wait!" another Dalek yells "Rewind image by nine rells!"

I realize the Doctor is in the shot

"Identify grid seven gamma frame."

They zoom in on the Doctor.

"This male registers as enemy."

Rose beams.

"The adult female's heartbeat has increased." The Dalek says, turning to Rose

"Yeah, tell me about it." Snorts Mickey

"Identify him." Orders one Dalek

"All right then... if you really wanna know... that's the Doctor." Rose smirks and the Daleks roll backwards sharply. "Five million Cybermen, easy. One Doctor? Now you're scared." Smirks Rose

Dalek Thay renters the sphere chamber moments later.

"Cyber threat irrelevant. Concentrate on the Genesis Ark." He orders

The black Dalek, presses its suction arm to the side of the Genesis Ark. "Why are we being kept alive?" I whisper to her

"They might need me." Whispers Rose, and I remember the last time she faced the Daleks, the day I was born.

"What? What is it?" Mickey whispers as Rose is just staring at the Daleks, fear in her eyes.

"Nothing." She answers, looking at him

"Look Rose" Mickey says, holding up a giant, almost cartoonish yellow button.

"It's a transportation device, but it only carries one and I'm not leaving you and Wolfe.

"You'd follow me anywhere. What did I do to you all those years ago?" Rose sighs, taking his hand

"Guess I'm just stupid." Shrugs Mickey

"You're the bravest man I've ever met." She smiles at him

"What about the Doctor?" he asks, skeptically

"Oh, all right. Bravest Human." They smile.

"Well, I can't think what the Daleks need with me. I'm nothing to them."

"You could be... whatever's inside that Ark is waking up and I've seen this happen before. The first time I saw a Dalek, it was broken. It was dying. But I touched it. The moment I did that... I brought it back to life." She explains "As the Doctor said... when you travel in time in the TARDIS, you soak up all this... um... background radiation. It's harmless, it's just there. But in the Time War, the Daleks evolved so they could use it as a power supply."

"I love it when you talk technical." Mcikey teases

"Shut up. If the Daleks have got something inside that thing that needs waking up..." She looks over at the Daleks crowding over the genesis arc

"They need us. " I whisper, "We've all travelled in time, any one of us would do.

"But why would they build something they can't open themselves?" Mickey asks

"The technology is stolen. The Ark is not of Dalek design." A Dalek yells at us, and we realize our conversation wasn't as quiet as we had thought

"Then who built it?" I ask

"The Time Lords. This is all that survives of their Home World." Explains one Dalek as the four Daleks are shuffling around the Ark.

"What's inside?" Rose asks

"The future." Answers the Dalek

Rose stares at the Ark and the surrounding Daleks with fearful apprehension.

Suddenly the Daleks back away from the Genesis Ark.

"Final stage of awakening." Announces one Dalek

"Dalek Caan wait." Orders one Dalek "the young Female has time lord hearts."

Rose steps in front of me

"But she is human!" Argues another

"She is both!" A third agrees.

"Your handprint will open the Ark." The first Dalek tells me

"Well tough, 'cos she's not doing it." Replies Rose

"Obey or the male and female will die." The Dalek orders me

"I can't let them." I say immediately moving towards the Arc

"Wolfe, don't." Mickey orders

"Wolfe, no!" Rose echoes

"Place your hand upon the casket." Orders a Dalek

"All right!" Yells Rose, walking forwards " You're gonna kill us anyway, so what the hell? If you um... escaped the Time War... don't you want to know what happened?" She asks it while it orders me "Place your hand..." "What happened to the Emperor?" Rose continues

"The Emperor survived." The Dalek checks

"'Til he met me... 'cos if these are gonna be my last words, then you're gonna listen. I met the Emperor. And I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you get that? The God of all Daleks... and I destroyed him." She gives the Dalek a gloating smile, and laughs.

"You will be exterminated!" He orders

"Oh now, hold on, wait a minute." The Doctor's voice calls and he saunters into the room.


	75. Chapter 75

_"Oh now, hold on, wait a minute." The Doctor's voice calls and he saunters into the room._

"Alert, alert, you are the Doctor." The Daleks panic

Rose and I smile with delight.

He's wearing his 3D specs

"Sensors report he is unarmed." Anotehr Dalek informs the group

"That's me. Always." Agrees the Doctor

"Then you are powerless." One Dalek informs him

"Not me." he takes specs off with a flourish "Never." He looks to Rose and I "How are you?"

"Oh, same old, you know." Rose grins

"Good! And Mickity-McMickey!" They bash fists "Nice to see ya!"

"And you, boss." Mickey smiles back

"Social interaction will cease!" Orders one Dalek "How did you survive the Time War?"

"By fighting. On the front line." Answers The Doctor.

Mickey turns, as if maybe this is the first time he's heard of this.

"I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday I might even come to terms with that. But you lot, ran away!" Snarls the Doctor

"We had to survive." Explains one Dalek

"The last four Daleks in existence. So what's so special about you?"

"Doctor, they've got names. And Daleks don't have names, do they? One of them said they..." Rose starts when the Daleks interrupt her

"I am Dalek Thay." Dalek Tahy announces

"Dalek Sek."

"Dalek Jast."

"Dalek Caan."

"So that's it! At last... the Cult of Skaro. I thought you were just a legend." The Doctor says, seemingly delighted

"Who are they?" I ask

"A secret order. Above and beyond the Emperor himself. Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks. Even dared to have names." His smile fades "All to find new ways of killing."

"But that thing, they said it was yours. I mean, Time Lords. They built it. What does it do?"

"I don't know. Never seen it before." Shrugs the Doctor  
"But it's... Time Lord." Rose questions

"Both sides had secrets. What is it? What have you done?" The Doctor asks the Daleks

"Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy." Answers Dalek Sek

"What does that mean? What sort of Time Lord science? What do you mean?"

"They said one touch from a time traveller…and possibly a Timelord… will wake it up." Rose explains

"Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do." Snorts the Doctor "Touch. Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything... ever... from birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage. Completely alone. And that explains your voice. No wonder you scream." The Doctor says, almost pityingly

"The Doctor will open the Ark!" Orders Dalek Sek

"The Doctor will not." Snorts the Doctor, laughing and I giggle

"You have no way of resisting." Points out the Dalek

"Well... you got me there. Although... there is always this." He takes his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket.

"A sonic probe?" Demands Dalek Jast

"That's "screwdriver"." Corrects the Doctor

"It is harmless." Scoffs the Dalek

"Oh yes. Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it. Doesn't kill, doesn't wound, doesn't maim. But I'll tell you what it does do, it is very good at opening doors." He activates the screwdriver, and immediately, the doors explode inwards. A group of men, Jake included leap into action, firing their guns at the Daleks.

"Delete! Delete! Delete!" Cybermen appear too.

"Alert! Casing impact, casing impact!" Dalek Caan screeches

The Doctor tackles Rose and I to the ground, trying to avoid the guns. "Rose, get out, take Wolfe!" Orders the Doctor

Rose grabs me and makes towards the door but we stumble.

"Fire power insufficient! Fire power insufficient!" Shrieks Dalek Thay

Pete helps Rose and I to our feet; she's surprised to see him there but obviously there's no time for him to explain. We make for the door. Mickey picks up a gun and starts firing anywhere.

"Daleks will be deleted. Delete! Delete!" Roar the Cybermen as the Doctor manages to get to the doorway, where Rose, Pete and I are cowering, out of harms way.

"Mickey, come on!" Rose yells

"Adapt to weaponry!" Orders Dalek Thay

"Fire power restored!" Replies Dalek Caan

The Dalek fires once at a Cyberman, immediately destroying it. Jake manages to reach the door, but Mickey loses his footing and accidentally places his hand upon the Genesis Ark, leaving a red hot mark there. He dashes for the door.

"Cybermen primary target." Dalek Sec Orders

Mickey winces in pain as he looks at his hand. The rest of Jake's men manage to slip through the door before it closes, sealing both the Daleks and the Cybermen inside.

"Jake, check the stairwell. The rest of you, come on!" The Doctor orders us as he neels for me to climb on his back, and we take off down the corridor.

"I just fell, I didn't mean it!" Panics Mickey

"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favour!" He kisses the top of Mickey's head "Now, run!"

We head up a staircase, to hear the familiar whimpers of Jackie

"No, but you can't! Please..."

Jake, Mickey and Pete shoot down the cybermen. Jackie squints through the smoke clouding him, uncomprehending, then her eyes widen as she realises."Pete!" She gasps

Rose's hands go to her mouth

"Hello, Jacks." Grins Pete

"I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair. Why him?" pouts Jackie  
"I'm not a ghost." Pete frowns

"But you're dead. You died twenty years ago, Pete." Jackie responds

"It's Pete from a different Universe. There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where..." The Doctor steps forward trying to remedy the situation

"Oh, you can shut up." Jackie responds, and for once, the Doctor does, stepping back into the background. Pete smiles.

"Oh... you look old." Jackie sighs, looking at him

"You don't." he smiles

"How can you be standing there?" Jackie asks

"Just got lucky... lived my life. You were left on your own. You didn't marry again, or...?" Pete asks, awkwardly

"There was never anyone else." The Doctor and Mickey smirk.

"years, though. Look at me, I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself."

"Brought her up. Rose Tyler." The Doctor and Mickey smile. "That's not bad."

"Yeah." Jackie smiles, encouraged

"In my world, it worked. All those daft little plans of mine. They worked. Made me rich." Pete adds

"I don't care about that." Jackie answers "How rich?"

"Very." Nods Pete

"I don't care about that." She pauses "How very?"

Pete laughs.

Rose rolls her eyes and the Doctor smiles fondly.

"Thing is though, Jacks, you're... you're not my wife. I'm sorry, but you're not. I mean, we both..."

Jackie nods. He looks at her, fighting it.

"You know, it's just sort of..." He gives in and starts towards her "Oh, come here."

They run to meet each other, Jackie starting to cry. He sweeps her off the ground in a huge hug.

Rose watches, her eyes misty.

The Doctor lets them have their moment, and after Pete sets her down, he urges us to start moving, urging us up the next flight of stairs to the door there.

He freezes, his hand on the doorknob

"You lot stay here, I'll be back." He orders

The Doctor opens the door to where the battle between the Cybermen and the Daleks is taking place, peering into the lab, waiting for the right moment to enter. He dives into the room, watched anxiously by Rose who winces every time a beam passes near him. The Doctor picks up two of the these huge, strange handle things, and uses them to deflect the rays from himself. He makes back towards the door with them, dodging the beams. He trips over a Cyberman's body.

"Come on, please." The Doctor quickly gets to his feet and slips through the door to safety. Rose closes it after him, and envelopes him in a tight hug. A few moments after he releases her, he opens it opens again, and puts on his 3D specs.

"Override roof mechanism." Announces Dalek Sec and The roof begins to open slowly.

"El-ev-ate." Screeches Dalek Jast

"What're they doing? Why'd they need to get outside?" Rose peers over the Doctor's shoulder

"Time Lord science... What Time Lord science?" He asks, baffled, taking his specs off "What is it?"

Dalek Sek elevates through the ceiling into the open air with the Ark. The Doctor shuts the door.

"Come on!" He runs back down the corridor, shouting to us as he goes. "We've gotta see what it's doing, we've gotta go back up! Come on! All of you! Top floor!

"That's forty-five floors up! Believe me, I've done 'em all!" Jackie protests

"We could always take the lift..." Jake says, popping his head out from around the corner.

We follow him, and start to the top floor.

We finally step out of the lift on the top floor and rush to the window, the Doctor dumping the giant clampy things he's still holding down on Yvonne's desk as he goes.

I freeze, realizing this room looks just like the one form my vision, from so long ago.

I walk to the window and see the Genesis Ark spins, Daleks shoot out of it, more and more of them. The Doctor stares in horror.

"Time Lord science... it's bigger on the inside." He gasps

"Did Time Lords put those Daleks in there? What for?" Demands Mickey

"It's a prison ship." Whispers the Doctor

"How many Daleks?" I gasp

" Millions." Answers the doctor

The Daleks spread out over London. The Cybermen march down a street. Then they stop as one, and fire their weapons up into the air at the Daleks. This has absolutely no effect on the Daleks.

"Ex-ter-min-ate!" Screech all the Daleks The Daleks fire at the terrified people running below them.

"I'm sorry, but you've had it. This world's gonna crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home. Jacks, take this." Pete says and tosses her one of the yellow buttons.

"But they're destroying the City!" Jackie Argues

"I'd forgotten you could argue." He smiles at her affectionately.

He loops the button around her neck himself.

"It's not just London, it's the whole world." He takes her face in his hands, making her look at him. "But there's another world, just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe. As long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?" The Doctor turns from the window with his 3D specs on and a big grin. "Oh, I'm ready. I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood!" He dashes to a computer. "Slam it down and close off both universes. Reboot systems."

"But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen...?" Rose asks

The Doctor stands.

"They're part of the problem. And that makes them part of the solution. Oh yes! The Doctor shouts

Rose laughs nervously.

"Well?! Isn't anyone gonna ask? What is it with the glasses?"

"What's with the glasses? Rose and I chorus

"I can see! That's what!" He shouts "'Cos we've got two separate worlds, but in-between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here! And you lot, one world to another, via the Void! Oh, I like that. Via the Void! Look!"

He presses the glasses onto Rose's face.

"I've been through it. Do you see? He dodges about so Rose can see, with the aid of the glasses. She reaches out to try and touch them.

"Reboot in three minutes." Announces the computer

"Void stuff." Rose understands "Like um... background radiation!

"That's it. Look at the others!" He spins her around to look at Jake, Mickey, Jackie and Pete. Jackie is the only one not surrounded by the "Void Stuff".

"The only one who hasn't been through the Void, your mother. First time she's looked normal in her life." Rose and I giggle.

"Oi!" the Doctor snarls

The Doctor dashes into the clear white area, Rose following.

"The Daleks lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void, end of verse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside.

"Pulling them all in!" Rose shouts, joyeously

"Pulling them all in!" Echoes the Doctor, fist in the air

"Sorry... what's... what's the Void?" Mickey asks, lost

"The dead space. Some people call it "Hell"."

"So... you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell." Mickey repeats as he loops his button over his head, before turning to Jake "Man, I told you he was good."

"But it's... like you said, we've all got Void stuff. Me too, 'cos we went to that parallel world. She flexes her fingers, before she pulls the glasses off. The Doctor stands before her. "We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in." she finishes

"That's why you've gotta go." He says, softly "You and Wolfe."


	76. Chapter 76

_"That's why you've gotta go." He says, softly "You and Wolfe."_

"Reboot in two minutes." The Computer yells

Rose stares at him, uncomprehending.

"Back to Pete's world." He points at Pete "Hey, we should call it that: Pete's World." He turns back to Rose "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You two will be safe on that side." Rose continues to stare at him. "And then you close it. For good?"

"The breach itself is soaked in Void Stuff, in the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput." Rose is just starting to realise what this means.

"But you stay on this side...?" Rose starts

"But you'll get pulled in." I interrupt, worried over the Doctor

The Doctor holds Rose's gaze for a moment before he runs over to the magnaclamps. Rose stays put, looking like she's been slapped around the face. "That's why... I got these. I'll just have to hold on tight, I've been doing it all my life."

"I'm supposed to go." She whispers

"Yeah." The Doctor says

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off." Rose continues

"Yeah."

It's obvious he doesn't want to talk about this.

"Forever." Rose says before she laughs at the absurdity of the idea "That's not gonna happen." A crash from outside shakes the building. "We haven't got time to argue, the plans works, we go in."

"No, I'm not leaving him!"

"Neither am I!" I yell, rushing over to the Doctor

"I'm not going without her!" Jackie yells, tearfully

"Oh, my God. We're going." Pete orders

"I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her." Jackie yells

"You've got to" Rose tells Jackie

"Well, that's tough!" Jackie battles

"Mum..." Whispers Rose

"Reboot in one minute!"

"I've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor and... all the things I've seen him do for me. For you. For all of us. For the whole... stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum." Behind her, the Doctor is watching her with terrible sadness in his eyes as he silently takes a button on a chain out of his pocket. "But not anymore. She takes my hand and backs away from Jackie, towards the Doctor "'Cos now he's got us."

The Doctor loops the chain around Rose's neck.

"What're you...?" Pete quickly presses the button. We all transport to a much darker room.

Rose looks around. "Oh no you don't. He's not doing that to me again." She clutches my hand and presses down on the button. We return to the Doctor's side. The Doctor grabs Rose roughly by the shoulders, stooping slightly so he can look straight into her eyes.

"Once the breach collapses, that's it. You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!"

"I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you." The Doctor stares at her for a moment, stunned.

Then, without warning, his arms slide around her back and he pulls her close, one hand guiding her head to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her lips.

She lets out a surprised squeak before she starts kissing him back, their months of side stepping each other coming together in one passionate kiss. I stare in shock as they cling to each other.

He is the first to pull away, but their eyes lingering on each other's lips.

Both seem a little shocked at what just happened.

"Systems rebooted." Announces the computer, breaking the moment.

The Doctor snaps into action.

"Those co-ordinates over there, set them all at six." The Doctor orders, pointing at a computer Rose does as she's told, still in shock.

He watches her walk to the computer. "And hurry up." He orders,

Rose leans over the computer, taking her button from around her neck and glancing at the Doctor nervously.

"Wolfe, watch this screen, if any alien shows up let me know

"We've got Cybermen on the way up!" I yell seconds after glancing on the screen

"How many floors down?"

"Just one."

The screen shows the Cybermen marching up the stairwell.

The Doctor taps in a command on the laptop.

"Levers operational." Announces the Computer

The Doctor grins.

"That's more like it, bit of a smile! The old team...!" Rose laughs

"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake!" he grins as he hands a clamp to her. "Wolfe come here!" He orders as Rose asks

"Which one's Shiver?

"Oh, I'm Shake." He dumps the clamp on her. Next moment, they've both attached them to the wall next to the levers on opposite sides of the room.

"Press the red button." He orders.

"When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void Stuff. Are you ready? Wolfe You stay with Rose and you don't move, you hear me?"

"Yes, Dad." I answer

We get into our positions beside the levers.

"Let's do it!" the Doctor yells

I cling to the clamp as Rose and the Doctor push the levers upwards and then hurriedly take hold of the clamps.

"Online."

The area is filled with the white light once more, but this time, there's also the sound of a strong wind. The Daleks are sucked through the window, smashing through the glass as they are pulled into the white light and back to the Void

We hold on to the clamps tightly, struggling to hold on.

"The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" Shouts the Doctor

Millions of Cybermen and Daleks hurtle into the Void.

Rose smiles across at the Doctor as they are billowed by the wind. Suddenly, their is a small explosion of sparks and the lever on Rose's side moves back into the off position. The smiles fade from their faces. "Offline."

"Turn it on!" The Doctor yells as the suction is starting to ease.

Rose reaches for the lever whilst trying to maintain her grip on the clamp, but it is just slightly too far away. She strains to reach it.

My stomach is lead as I realize that this is my vision. She falls into the void saving us. After watching the Doctor kiss her, finally facing the feelings they've been hiding for so long, I can't let them separate.

"I've got it!"

I yell, letting go and sliding to the lever, grasping it tightly

The Doctor and Rose watch, full of dread. Rose whimpers, eyes wide.

"I've gotta get it upright!" I yell, pushing the lever upwards, groaning with the effort. Finally, I manage to push the lever upright.

The Doctor watches with his heart in his mouth.

"Online and locked." The Computer announces

The suction increases once more. But now, I have nothing to hold on to but the lever.

"Wolfe, hold on!" Screams the Doctor

But the Void pulls at me, making it near impossible for me to keep her grip. I cry out with the effort.

"Hold on!" Rose shrieks.

All of my strength is almost spent

The Doctor stares at me, terror in his gaze. He's horribly powerless, reaching out to me in vain.

Time seems to slow

"Dad! Mum!" I yell, knowing I only have a couple of seconds before I fall into the void.

"I love you. I love you so so much. You made my life worth it, You made me special and I love you. Finish Harry Potter. See the universe Together. Be together… Rose and the Doctor, as it should be… I promise…I promise I will find you again…I love you."

With one last cry, my grip finally slips, and I am pulled inexorably towards the Void, crying out. The Doctor screams my name as I am pulled away from him. Rose is sobbing and shrieking incomprehensibly. I shut my eyes, resigned to my fate, when suddenly I hit something solid.

Looking up, I see Pete.

I look over at Rose and the Doctor, their faces masks of horror, for a half second, before Pete and I vanish.

I gasp as we land in the alternate universe.

Slamming my hand on Pete's button, it doesn't work.

"No." I whimper, walking to the wall, placing my palms on it, tears running down my cheeks. "No…Mum…Dad…"

"It's stopped working. He did it. He closed the breach." Pete informs us, emptily

"No..." I sob. I press my cheek to the wall, trying to reach through the void to find my parents again.

For a couple seconds I feel the pain they're feeling, before it fades, and I slide down the wall, heartbroken.

Pete, Jackie, Mickey, watch me uncomfortably, at a loss for words.

"You'll live with us dear" Jackie comforts me, as she takes Pete's hand in hers "Don't you worry. You'll have us." She adds

I continue to sob, before I turn back to them, my face soaked in tears, and shakily stand up.

Jackie offers her free hand and so does Mickey.

I walk towards them, and take their hands.

"Come on sweetheart."

We start walking away, but I pause for a second, looking back over my shoulder at the wall

 _Goodbye Dad_

 _Goodbye Mum_

I turn away, and follow everyone else down the stairs, in silence.

 **To be Continued...**

 _See Book 2: The Doctor's Love (Coming Soon!)_


End file.
